Teaghlaigh
by Suuz-5-5
Summary: New team member, new case, new trouble. Sequel to Remember Your Family.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. **

**This fanfic is the sequel to ****_Remember Your Family _****and I recommend that you read that one before this fanfic. It might not make sense without the backstory. This one is still the continuation of the season 2 finale. Even with the confirmation of season 3, this is kinda my season 3.**

**Okay kinda pissed off because I wrote this chapter and the next one some time ago...but somehow my tablet decided it was okay to put them as temporary files and suddenly my chapters were gone. Just when I was happy and done with them. So I had to start almost all over (and I was ready to kill my tablet. Wasted hours on writing those chapters -.-). So if this chapter doesn't seem as good, it's because I can't remember for a 100% the changes I made to it.**

**Hopefully you will still enjoy reading this chapter and the entire story!**

_Chapter 1_

Loud ringing awoke Tommy from his sleep. He had to blink a few times before he could focus on his alarm clock and see it was almost 3 a.m. With some urgency he reached for his phone. There were only two possibilities for this hour: work or Eva. Caller ID showed it was Eva and he answered it.

'Hey.'

'_Hey, sorry to wake you up..._' He hoped that by now she knew never to apologize and that he would always answer. He knew memories were bothering her at night. They had ever since the team had rescued her from her father three weeks ago.

'Doesn't matter. Have you even gotten some sleep? '

'_No...no sleep yet_.' Tommy sat up. She hadn't been really sleeping the last couple of nights. Each night this week she had called him.

'What kept you up?' There was silence on the other side of the line but Tommy waited patiently to hear something from her. It was always silent when he asked that question. He knew she didn't like talking about it nor did she like that she called him at night. Even when he had told her many times she could always call him. It took her some time to break the silence with an answer Tommy already expected.

'_Just...nightmares. It's one of those nights..._'

'Do you still talk to..what was the name of that shrink guy?' There came a chuckle from the other side and Tommy smiled, happy that he could make her laugh.

'_Shrink lady, Manouk, and yes I still go to her. I have an appointment in a couple of days._'

'Does she still help?'

'_With some things, yes. Others not yet so much..._' There was a sadness in her voice that Tommy hated to hear. He wished he could just take it all away but he also knew she needed time to heal. To process all that had happened. That her father was actually alive and no longer was the man from her memories.

'Do you want me to come over?' Tommy was already standing next to his bed, searching for a shirt to put on. It depended on the night whether she wanted him there. The route to her place was branded into his mind. The memories of empty roads as hardly no one was outside at 3 or 4 a.m.

'_No...I'm okay with just talking on the phone._' Tommy lay down on his bed again, listening to Eva on the other side of the line. As time passed her words became fewer and her breathing slowly started to even out. Tommy closed his eyes as he listened to her breathing. Calmness washed over him and it didn't take long for himself to fall asleep as well.

* * *

The morning came too early and Tommy wished he could stay in his bed just a little longer. Nevertheless, he got out as soon as his alarm went off. He took a shower, hoping it would wake him more, which seemed to work as he got out. After a quick breakfast he went out of the door. Eva had been allowed back at work since last Monday and he had picked her up every day for work. The drive to Eva wasn't too long and soon he was knocking on her front door. Eva opened the door and handed him a steaming cup of coffee right away. He took a moment to take in the sight of her. There were bags under her eyes. But even with the tired look on her face, he thought she was beautiful. Eva had tried to hide from the world. She hardly left her apartment, and only if she really had to. She didn't want people to see her like she saw herself: broken and weak. It had been her shrink, Manouk, who had convinced her to go outside again. She had to if she wanted to be cleared for work, which had happened this week.

'Good morning,' she greeted him.

'Good morning,' he greeted back with a relieved sigh as he took a sip from the coffee. As always it was great coffee. The Italians sure knew how to make a good cup of coffee. 'Ready for work?'

'Almost,' Eva answered. 'Could you get the ointment? The bandages are already in the bathroom.' Tommy grabbed the ointment called Flammazine from the kitchen counter and made his way over the bathroom. Each morning Flammazine needed to be put on her burn and a fresh bandage needed to be applied. Since her burn was in a difficult place for Eva to reach, Tommy had come over every morning to take care of it. Tommy could feel a shiver go through her as he touched her shoulder with the ointment. He knew she hated people touching or even looking at her burn. She felt ashamed. It was a constant reminder of her father and what he had done to her. Tommy tried to be quick but thorough so it could heal as soon as possible. He still hadn't got used to the sight and it made him sick that her own father could have done this to her.

* * *

It was still strange walking into the office and no longer seeing Louis sitting in his office when they arrived at work. Eva still expected him to walk in any moment and give them a new case to work on. His office wasn't empty however, not anymore. Dorn had been quick to add a new member to the team: Olivier Beaulieu, a commissaire from the French Police in Paris. He had known Louis from when they were both located in Paris. Olivier was different from Louis. As far as Eva had seen he was far more like a boss and formal. It was like he was keeping his distance from the rest of the team. Maybe it was a matter of getting used to each other, but for now Olivier hadn't really found his place within the team yet. She could also understand the distance Olivier tried to put between him and the team. It would be hard to come to a new team, replacing a team member who recently passed away. Even if he acted nothing like Louis, he would always be compared to him and seen as a replacement.

Eva was actually surprised to find out Olivier had become their new team leader. She had expected Hickman to fill that position. It would have made more sense to her and when she discussed it with Tommy, he had agreed as well. All he could say was that Hickman had declined the position of team leader, stating it would have been too much paperwork. But Eva was relatively sure there was more to that story.

* * *

'We have a new case,' Olivier announced when he had everyone gathered in Sebastian's computer lab so they could review it. 'Last night the local police found the bodies of three students just outside of London. They were shot through their heads and afterwards a compass rose was painted on their foreheads.' Olivier showed the pictures of the students' faces from the file. 'Alwa Sjöberg was the oldest at twenty-three years old and she originated from Sweden. Olivia O'Neill, age twenty-two, originated from Ireland. And Alex Kuijpers, the youngest, 18 years old from the Netherlands. There was another student with them, Logan Hold, age nineteen and from Sweden as well, but his body hadn't been found and he also hasn't returned to the apartment where the four students were staying and can't be reached on his phone. Either he is still alive or his body has been dumped somewhere else.'

'Why did we get this case?' Tommy asked curiously, already suspecting the answer.

'Superintendent Miles Lennon requested us to join...' Olivier answered hesitantly. 'I suspect you have worked with him before.' Tommy sighed and nodded.

'It wasn't always pleasant,' he answered.

'Why does Lennon want us specifically?' Hickman asked.

'Superintendent Lennon suspects that the murders are connected to the travelers that live nearby,' Olivier explained. 'It seems that he was happy with the work you guys had done before on closing a case and he wants our help again...is there a problem with a cooperation with Scotland Yard or with Superintendent Lennon?'

'He seems to have a personal dislike of Tommy,' Arabela answered. Olivier frowned and he turned to Tommy.

'Care to explain this, McConnel?' he asked.

'My family is from the traveler's clan in London,' Tommy explained. 'Last time a couple of members produced poisonous drugs and distributed it through London. Arrests were made and the rest of the clan was cleared. Superintendent Lennon however holds a grudge against all travelers after his wife and child died in a bombing...where the IRA may have been involved in. So Superintendent Lennon doesn't really like me or my family.'

'Will this cause a problem when we join Scotland Yard with their investigation?' Olivier wanted to know and Tommy shook his head. 'Good, because Dorn ordered us to take this case. We leave in an hour for London.'

* * *

'You ready to go on a case?' Tommy asked with a hint of worry in his voice as he walked into the office kitchen where Eva was getting herself another cup of coffee. She sighed before she turned around to face him. He had acted so worried the last days, ever since she got back to work. She knew he had been worried and maybe even scared (without admitting this) when she was...with her father. Arabela and Sebastian had told her enough. But he had become so protective and constantly worried about her, as if she could break in a thousand pieces at any moment. It was his acting towards her that made her feel she actually could. But this was her job. Something she loved to do and he couldn't be just thinking and worrying about her when they were in the field.

'I'm okay, Tommy,' she assured him. 'Both my doctor and Manouk cleared me for work. I can come with you to the UK.'

'But do you feel ready?' he continued. 'It's your first case since...your kidnapping.' Eva put her cup down and placed her hand on Tommy's crossed arms.

'Stop worrying about me,' she told him. 'I'm fine and I'm not going to London by myself. The entire team is coming...you are coming. I will be fine, okay?' Tommy gave her a smile and Eva couldn't help but smile herself. They were both fully aware things had changed over the last three weeks. Things that they weren't allowed to show anyone at work. For now they would just keep it to themselves, as long as they could do that with their team.

'I might have been a bit overreacting with my worrying, haven't I?' he said with a grin on his face. Eva lifted her hand and stroked his cheek.

'A little bit,' she replied, smiling. Then her smile faded and she looked at him. 'Are you ready to return to London? A lot happened last time we were there.' Tommy nodded.

'Let's just hope I don't run into any travelers,' he said to her and he turned his head. 'We should go.' He walked away and Eva quickly followed him.

'You know, that's not very reassuring!' she told him.

**TBC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites! Happy to see that you're willing to stick with this story ^^**

**Big thanks to my sister for checking this chapter ^^ **

**And thanks to Elaine (cdub77) for letting me spam her and rant about the recent Crossing Lines' news. Things are not going as we had expected nor hoped they would go. The show is going to change with the start of season 3...**

_Chapter 2_

The crime scene was a relatively empty field with a couple of bushes, in which the three bodies had been dumped. The wind was freezing and seemed to cut right through the jackets of the team. They stood gathered at the bushes. The place didn't look like a horrible crime had just happened. The bodies had been taken to the morgue by the Medical Examiners and the Crime Scene Unit had gathered all the evidence for analyses. Only the bright yellow tape and the police indicated that something had happened. The news of the bodies hadn't even spread so there weren't people standing behind the tape, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. There was always something about people standing there, watching them, but the alternative made the area eerily quiet.

'What can you tell me about the discovery of the bodies?' Olivier asked, with hands stuffed far into his pocket. The young officer that had escorted them to the crime scene looked at the bush.

'A couple walked their dog late last night and happened to find the bodies,' he started to tell. 'They called the police right away. When the officers arrived, they noticed a disturbance. They discovered the bodies were booby trapped with a bomb.' The officer pointed at a spot. 'The officers called the Bomb Squad, who came in and disarmed the bomb...we were lucky Superintendent Lennon discovered that booby trap, or we would have been in trouble.'

'Well, maybe there is some use to his paranoia when it comes to any involvement from travelers,' Tommy mumbled, which got him a firm glare from Olivier.

'Superintendent avoided the crime scene being destroyed,' the officer replied firmly. 'And made sure my colleagues survived. Those travelers...'

'We don't know for sure that the travelers are involved,' Hickman stepped in, keeping Tommy from lashing out at the officer. 'The compass rose could have no link with the travelers or could have been drawn on their foreheads to put the blame on them. We don't know yet.' The officer frowned, but kept his mouth shut.

'Could we see the bomb that was used?' Sebastian asked, changing the subject. He shot a glance at Tommy, who had crossed his arms.

'Yeah, maybe I can find some evidence to put the blame on the travelers and make it easier for Superintendent Lennon to get rid of all the travelers,' Tommy scoffed.

'McConnel!' Olivier said in a warning tone and Tommy put his hands up in defeat.

'I can arrange for you to see the bomb,' the officer answered Sebastian's question but keeping his eyes on Tommy.

'Okay, McConnel, you take a look at that bomb,' Olivier ordered and then he turned to Eva. 'And Vittoria, you go with him to keep an eye on him. Try keeping him from starting a fight with all of Scotland Yard.' Eva gave him a short nod. Tommy rolled his eyes, but he gladly took the opportunity to get away from the officer.

* * *

The Bomb Squad had detonated the bomb, which meant it was somewhat a mess. Tommy pushed the charred pieces around with a pair of tweezers. Maybe the bomb itself was destroyed, but he still recognized some things. The trademark of the maker was still visible.

'I know who made this bomb,' Tommy sighed, catching Eva's attention.

'How?' she asked.

'Let's call the team first,' he replied. 'Then I only have to explain it once.' Eva nodded and Tommy grabbed his phone. He dialed their boss' number and put the phone on speaker.

_'What do you have, McConnel?_' There was no greeting from Olivier. He just went straight to business.

'The bomb was made by a guy called Brenn Reagan,' Tommy said. 'I used to work with him back when we were both in the IRA. It was a long time ago and it all ended when I forcefully joined up with Scotland Yard...but the trademark is there. It's one of Brenn's bombs.'

'_Are you still in contact with your friend?_'

'What are you trying to say with that: "my friend"?' Anger rose within him. He didn't like the tone of that man. Eva put her hand on his arm, trying to keep him calm, and Tommy took a deep breath.

'_I meant nothing by it. I just assumed you two were close and I wanted to know if you were able to contact the person who made the bomb that was used to booby trap the bodies of three murdered students. That was all that I wanted to know, so give me an answer, McConnel._'

'I might have a number,' Tommy answered with a sigh. 'But I doubt it's still in use. It's an old one and we were taught to change it up. Especially if Brenn made this bomb, for whatever reason, I doubt he kept the number. '

'_What about reaching out to former IRA members or travelers? Do you know someone who could have the number?_' Tommy ran a hand over his head. Reaching out to other travelers and announce that he was in London, if they didn't already know? It didn't seem like the best plan to him. Not with the hit above his head. However, it wasn't really like he had a choice. He glanced at Eva, who gave him a questioning look and nodded at the phone. Tommy sighed.

'I can make a couple of calls.'

* * *

Eva stood in the kitchen, waiting for her tea to be ready. She enjoyed the alone time and listened to the random parts of conversation from the people that walked past the kitchen. She loved being back at work and being in the field, but it still felt strange. Different than before. Olivier had told her he wanted to keep her out of the field as much as possible because he wasn't sure how she would react. She just wanted to get back to work. Not be kept back or handled differently. She just wanted to work and keep her mind busy.

It was at night when her mind couldn't be kept busy and images would run through her head. The memories that returned every night, making it almost impossible for Eva to sleep through the entire night. Sometimes she didn't even try to go to sleep, just to keep the images away. Eva simply wanted to forget about what happened and what her father had done. She just wanted to move on. But her therapist Manouk wasn't going to let that happen. Manouk thought it was best to confront the memories of the traumatic ordeal, as she liked to call it. Only then things could return to normal, like it was before. But that would never happen. The Major was gone and was never coming back.

* * *

'_No way, McConnel! We're not all like you_.' The person on the other side of the line hung up before Tommy could speak another word. He let go of a frustrated sighed. Yet another one who didn't want to talk to a 'traitorous copper'. At least this one hadn't laughed in his face once he had said his name. He threw his phone on the table and leaned back in the chair. Six people had hung up as soon as they realized who he was and the list of people to call was becoming shorter and shorter.

'Not going too well, I assume?' Tommy turned around startled and was surprised to see Hickman standing in the doorway. It hadn't been that long since he had started to call people.

'No,' he sighed. 'It's not going well at all.' Hickman walked inside and carefully closed the door behind him, which told Tommy something was going on. Hickman sat down in the chair next to him and looked at Tommy for some time.

'Tommy, I know about Colin,' he then said and an uneasy feeling sat within Tommy with those words. 'I know he was the tiger in that bank robbery and that you let him walk at the sewer. We need to talk.' Tommy frowned. Where was this coming from and why now? How did Hickman even know about Colin?

'What is there to talk about?' he asked. 'Colin was at the sewer, but I wasn't sure, so I let him go.' A weak smile appeared on Hickman's face.

'We both know you knew he was involved with the robbery,' Hickman contradicted. 'You must have recognized him at the sewer and you knew no one but those robbers would be there. So why did you let him walk? And why lie about it?' Tommy took a deep breath. This was not something he wanted to discuss right now. The case was getting him in enough trouble. 'Tommy, this is serious! You let a criminal walk away!'

'He's family,' Tommy replied. Hickman frowned as if he didn't get what Tommy meant by that. 'Wouldn't you do everything for family? Even when they hate your guts and want nothing to do with you? Because that's why I let him walk: he's my little brother, Hickman!'

'Then why did you tell Scotland Yard about his and your father's activities in Wales?' Hickman asked, who seemed a bit taken back by the way Tommy had spoken to him. Tommy averted his eyes and sighed.

'Because my mother to do that,' he answered. 'I never informed on my family...until she asked me to do so and she only did it to protect the others...' They both turned around when the door was opened. Arabela appeared in the room.

'Beaulieu wants an update about how things are going,' she reported and Tommy gave her a nod, happy to get away from Hickman and their conversation. He got up from his chair when Hickman grabbed his arm.

'This isn't over yet, Tommy,' he said quietly. Then he let go of Tommy's arm and they followed Arabela to the main room. For Tommy the conversation was over, though. He had meant what he had said to Hickman. He would always do whatever was needed to protect his family.

* * *

'So we got nothing from your contacts within the former IRA or travelers' clan?' Olivier summarized when Tommy had given his update but Tommy wasn't paying too much attention. He felt Hickman's eyes on him and he tried to shake it off. He didn't want to think about Hickman and his grudge against his younger brother. 'McConnel?' Tommy looked at their boss with his eyebrows raised and then remembered his boss had asked him a question.

'Yeah, it looks like I no longer have any contacts,' he answered. 'No one wants to talk to a copper, especially not me. But for what it's worth, I don't think the travelers were involved in this crime. There was no reason for them to kill three students who were here on holiday. It's too random.'

'Okay, but we haven't pinned anything on anyone,' Olivier said. 'Although we can't exclude the travelers based on your feeling. You need to come with concrete evidence. Right now we need to find Reagan and the fourth student Logan. Where would a nineteen-year-old boy on holiday be and why hasn't he returned to his apartment, where his friends are?'

'Maybe he met someone and went with that person,' Sebastian suggested. 'Spent his time there. Text messages were exchanged between Logan and Alwa late last night, but it's in Swedish. The locals are getting it translated.'

'We could try at the bars and clubs and see if any of the staff recognizes him or knows who he went with last night,' Arabela said. Olivier nodded.

'Scotland Yard is already working on that,' he said. 'They have officers going to all the bars and clubs. I suggest we call it a night for now and get some rest at the hotel. Scotland Yard will contact us when they have something and if not, we'll start again fresh in the morning.' The others nodded. No one was going to complain about an early night's rest.

* * *

Tommy let a deep breath go and sat down on the bed. In the corner of the room was his bag, still unpacked. He wasn't planning to unpack it either. He never did when he was on a case. It was just easier to keep it packed in case they have to leave suddenly. Tommy lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. A hotel room always seemed the same. Different colors and different furniture each time, but basically the same. It started to feel strangely familiar. A knock on the door made him sit up and he walked to the door. When he opened the door, Eva greeted him with a smile. Tommy raised his eyebrow in surprise, expecting room service and not Eva.

'Ciao, bella,' he greeted her anyway and he held the door open so she could walk in. 'Are you okay?' Eva gave a little shrug and walked inside. Tommy glanced quickly at the corridor to make sure no one of the team was there as well. They wanted to keep their thing theirs.

'I like having you close by,' she said, almost sounding ashamed and somewhat shy.

'Isn't having me two doors down the corridor enough?' he joked. Eva didn't reply and that worried Tommy. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss. Then he guided her to the bed where they lay down. Eva snuggled up against him and he held her close. Gently he placed a kiss on the top of her head. They lay together in silence until there was another knock on the door. Eva looked up at him.

'That will be room service,' he said. 'I'll get it.' He gave her a quick kiss and he went to the door to deal with the waiter. The exchange was quick and Tommy placed the tray on the bed. He had already suspected that Eva would be coming by, just not this early, so he had ordered some extra. 'I hope you're hungry.' She smiled and moved to the edge to the bed so they could eat. Tommy brushed against Eva's shoulder when he reached for a piece bread and felt a shudder through her body.

'I'm sorry,' he quickly apologized. She still hated when someone touched or even looked at her shoulder.

'It's okay,' Eva brushed it off. 'So no one wanted to talk to you about the case?' Tommy accepted the change of subject and sighed.

'Yeah, most of the time I didn't even get the chance to explain what's going on,' he answered her. 'Seems like that once it's out, it's out for pretty much forever.'

'Do you miss it? Traveler's life?' Tommy hesitated to answer because he didn't really know the answer. He missed not being able to contact his family or his old friends. Not being able to go back to his childhood home. But he also knew that if he had stayed he could have been the tiger in the bank robbery instead of Colin or dead like Sean.

'Sometimes,' he decided to answer. 'But this job is kinda like traveler's life: moving from place to place. And sometimes it's not bad to settle down.' He leaned towards her and gave her a kiss.

**TBC.**

**So yeah, had to almost completely rewrite this chapter...doesn't make it better. Did get longer than I remember. Then again I wrote it on my tablet without a word counter, so it could have been the same. The part with Eva's thoughts and such was much better the first time around and has frustrated me ever since because I can't remember exactly what I wrote!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

_Chapter 3_

The feeling of an empty space beside him made Tommy wake up and look around the room, searching for Eva. A cold breeze made him turn to the window, where he found Eva standing. He got out of bed and walked towards her. There he wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her shiver. He places a kiss on her shoulder.

'Manouk was wrong,' she mumbled, still staring out of the window. 'About needing to confront what happened...she should try it with nightmares almost every night.' Tommy rested his chin on her shoulder.

'Did you have a nightmare?' he asked softly and he felt Eva nod. 'You want to talk about it?' Eva pushed his chin up and turned around in his arms. Now he could see her tear-stained face, as she was looking at him.

'I just want to have one night...' she said tiredly and she closed her eyes. 'Just one night without the memories.' Tommy leaned closer and gently kissed her lips.

'It will get better,' he assured her and he hoped so much that it was the truth. He hated to see Eva like this, without him being able to do anything to make it better. He just had to stand there and watch her hurt.

'When?' Eva replied and more tears started to roll over her cheeks. Tommy held her closer to him and took a deep breath. If only he had the answer to that question.

'I have nightmares as well,' he admitted, almost in a whisper and Eva glanced up at him. 'It's not something we need to be ashamed of...it's normal...'

'Why didn't I know that?' she asked him and he sighed.

'Because I don't want you to worry about me,' he answered honestly.

'What are they about?'

'Mostly about that we never found you...and sometimes about finding you too late.' Tommy looked directly in her eyes and he gently stroked her cheek. 'They're always about losing you and I can't lose you...' Eva put her hand on his and with her other hand she brought his face closer to hers. She slowly kissed him.

'I'm right here,' she whispered against his lips and then pulled away so she could look into his eyes. 'You never lost me...you saved me.' Tommy had to swallow to keep the tears inside and gave her a kiss. She was indeed right there with him, but that didn't keep the nightmares away. The more he was with her, the more intense the nightmares became; the more he felt that he couldn't lose her.

* * *

The next morning Logan Hold walked into the police station, saying his name and that he had been told that the police was looking for him. He had no clue about what had happened. Tommy and Eva stood in the observation room, looking at Logan sitting opposite of Hickman and Olivier in the interrogation room. He was staring intensely at the two men, trying to comprehend what they had just told him: that his three friends had been murdered. Next to Tommy Eva took a deep breath.

'How will he be able to go on with his life?' she mumbled.

'He will find a way,' Tommy answered and Eva looked surprised at him, as if she hadn't expected an answer from anyone. He glanced at her. 'I was about Logan's age when my brother Sean was killed...in front of my eyes.' Tommy looked down at his feet. 'He will find a way, because he has to.' He felt Eva's hand slip into his hand and she interlaced her fingers in his. He looked over at her and she gave him a weak smile.

'Thank you for telling me,' she said softly. Tommy wished he could do more than just hold her hand. He wished he could kiss her to tell her how grateful he was that she was standing her with him, supporting him. Instead he turned back to the interview.

'_Umm...I was with this girl_,' Logan stumbled tearfully. _'Sandra...and I went home with her. I told Alwa that I would be going with her. That was our rule: you can hook up but let the others know...somewhere during the night my phone died and I didn't have a charger...umm...I only went to the...apartment when the manager told me...ummm...that the police was looking for me...that something had...happened..._' Logan ran a hand through his hair and looked in shock at Hickman and Olivier. '_They're all dead?_' Hickman gave a short nod and the boy let a shaky breath go. Tommy could see him shake. '_What happened to them? Can I see them?_'

'_Not right now_,' Olivier answered, but Logan didn't seem to listen and just rambled on.

'_I should have stayed with them...like we were supposed to...how am I going to tell their parents?_' Tommy took a deep breath when he saw the despair on the boy's face. The confusion and refusal. He felt for the boy and wanted to give him the answers he needed, but they still had none of them.

'_How did this all happen? We were just some students having fun on holiday_.' Those words got stuck in Tommy's head. The boy was right: how did all of this happen to three students on holiday? Was there a reason? And why the compass roses? There was no reason for this murder...for the travelers to kill three students who were just having fun.

* * *

Eva watched as Logan cried, with her phone clutched in his hand against his ear. She had approached him after the interview and had asked him if they could contact anyone for him. His answer had been whether he could call his mom and Eva had given him her phone so he could. His mother's greeting had been enough for the boy to break down in tears. Then she saw him wipe away the tears and he handed her phone back.

'Thank you,' he told her. 'She's coming on the first plane here...'

'Of course,' she replied. 'Can I get anything else for you? Something to eat or something to drink?' Logan shook his head and Eva put her hand on his shoulder. 'Okay, you can stay here till your mom gets here.' He nodded and Eva headed out, to see the rest of the team. When she passed the kitchen, she saw Tommy standing there. He was stirring his cup of coffee absently while staring at the wall across the room.

'Are you okay, Tommy?' she asked. Tommy turned around, seemingly pulled from his deep thoughts and he blinked a couple of time.

'Back off, Eva,' he told her in a firm and harsh tone and the comment took Eva back. She stared at him. In the last weeks he had never spoken to her like that. He had always seemed so careful around her, like she could break into a million pieces at any moment. Tommy seemed to realize his harsh tone as well and he put his hand on Eva's arm. 'I'm sorry, Eva...I didn't mean it like that.' She pulled her arm loose.

'We should get back to work,' she told him, not wanting to talk about it. She looked up at him and saw hurt and self-blame in his eyes. Sebastian walked into the kitchen right that moment.

'Olivier wants you to come,' he said to Tommy. 'We got a location for Reagan.'

'Okay,' Tommy answered slowly but keeping his eyes on Eva. She watched him walk out of the kitchen, following Sebastian and when he was gone, she released a shaky breath. His harsh tone had reminded her of how her father had spoken to her. She felt herself shake and forced herself to take deep breaths. It was Tommy, who cared for her; who had saved her, and it was just the case that was getting to him.

'Hey Eva, can you help me...' Arabela asked while walking into the kitchen but she stopped when she saw Eva. 'Hey, are you okay?' Eva smiled weakly at those words. The same she had asked Tommy.

'I'm fine,' she assured Arabela. 'Just a little annoyed about being confined to the police station.'

'You should give it some time,' Arabela told her. 'Olivier is not a risk taker...on any occasion, and he might think you're somewhat of a risk. That you need to take it easy getting back into the job before going out again. He doesn't really know you...or any of us for that matter...'

'Thanks,' Eva sighed. 'I will try to be patient...you need my help?' Arabela nodded and soon Eva was dragged back into the case, keeping the incident with Tommy out of her mind.

* * *

The first thing Tommy, Sebastian, Hickman and Olivier got when the door opened was laughter. Brenn Reagan was laughing right in their faces.

'Bastaird,' he said to Tommy, but surprisingly he did open the door to let them all into his house. Sebastian checked the house for explosives with some fancy device Tommy didn't understand but he found nothing. Brenn watched them work with his arms crossed in the middle of his living room.

'Anything I can do for you, gentlemen?' he asked casually.

'We found a bomb with three bodies,' Hickman told him and Brenn shrugged.

'That is unfortunate,' he said. 'I don't get how that has to do with me though.'

'Cut it out,' Tommy said firmly to his former partner. 'I recognized the bomb. It is one of yours. I know you made it.'

'Well, Tommy...' Brenn started, dragging out his name, 'you are mistaken...like other times. I stopped making bombs a long time ago as well. You might remember the moment...it was around the same time you left us and joined the coppers we were fighting against...so yeah, I got out as well. Although _I didn't_ turn against my family.' Tommy gritted his teeth to keep himself from hitting Brenn right into his smug face.

'I never betrayed my family!' he told Brenn firmly.

'Oh hell you did!' Brenn shouted. 'And everyone knows it! You betrayed all of us! That is why your bloody family doesn't even want anything to do with you! You're a damn fhealltóir and a bastaird!' Tommy rushed towards Brenn but was stopped by Sebastian who grabbed his arms firmly.

'Tommy!' he hissed and Tommy panted. He pulled his arms from Sebastian's hold and looked over at Brenn who was standing with a big smirk on his face, looking over his shoulder. Tommy turned around and saw Olivier fuming behind him.

'Get out, McConnel!' he told him firmly. 'NOW!'

'Don't trust that guy,' Tommy said to Olivier when he walked towards the door.

'I don't want to hear a thing from you, right now!' Olivier stayed surprisingly calm even though Tommy could see the man was raging on the inside. 'Get back to the station and don't move a muscle until I come back.' Tommy bowed his head and walked out. He could hear Brenn laughing and talking to his team members.

* * *

In the car Tommy took a deep breath and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. He messed that one up big time. He never expected that Brenn would get such a reaction out of him. They had been friends in the IRA. Always close and always doing idiotic things. Tommy's departure had been the end of that, as it had been the end of so many things. And Brenn had been angry with him. Tommy remembered his mean left hook all too well from the first time he had run into Brenn again. He had been sore for two weeks and Brenn had been just as sore. It had been one ugly fight. But after that it had become a bit more amicable between them. Nothing like before, but they talked every now and then. Just keeping each other up to date about thing. Until five years had passed and Tommy never heard from Brenn again. Tommy hadn't admitted it, but losing Brenn had been tough. They had known each other ever since they both were in diapers. One (forced) decision had ruined all of that.

'Shite!' Tommy cursed and he hit the steering wheel several time. This case was getting crazy and one big mess. Now he had the actual case, the Hickman-Colin problem and it was getting personal. He was getting agitated and had been harsh against Eva. Eva, who he had been trying to get to be open with him. This was just one big mess. Ever since they arrived in London, the case had gone downhill. Suddenly a realization set in. It had escalated since he got here: travelers involved, Brenn involved. That couldn't be a coincidence.

**TBC.**

**Well, season 3 is no longer looking very good to me with the whole semi-reboot :( Not happy about it at all...and that doesn't make writing much easier to do. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**Here is another chapter! I hope to get the next on out a little sooner.**

_Chapter 4_

Eva and Arabela looked up in surprise when Tommy stomped into the room and started searching through files. They glanced at each other with their eyebrows raised, waiting for Tommy to say anything. But he only seemed interested in the files.

'What happened?' Arabela asked carefully and Tommy abruptly turned to them.

'Beaulieu send me back,' he told them curtly. 'He and Hickman stayed behind with Reagan.' He shot one short glance into the files and then looked up. 'Anyone wants coffee?' Without waiting for their answers he walked out of the room. Arabela looked at Eva, who sighed. She got up as well and followed Tommy to the kitchen, where he was staring at the coffee pot. She stepped next to him, leaning against the counter.

'What happened with Reagan?' she asked him carefully. Tommy turned to her and she was surprised to see the sad look on his face. She put her hand over his.

'Brenn got under my skin...' he told her. 'We didn't only work together...we were friends for years...even before the IRA. He...' He took a deep breath. 'He just wasn't very forgiving for me leaving. He seemed to have it taken personally... Seeing him today... Let's just say it didn't work out too well. Beaulieu stepped in and sent me back. We're going to have a talk when he gets back...'

'Tommy...' He rubbed a hand over his face.

'I know...it was stupid. I just had enough of people calling me a bloody copper and a traitor.' Eva stroked his hand with her thumb.

'Are you going to be okay?' she asked. She was getting worried about him. He wasn't behaving like himself. He wouldn't let a suspect get under his skin.

'I'm going to be fine,' he tried to assure her, but it didn't really convince Eva.

* * *

Tommy watched Hickman and Sebastian bringing in Brenn, who was cuffed and no longer had that smirk on his face. It felt good to see that smirk gone. Apparently they had found something that indicated his involvement of the bomb, like Tommy knew he had done. Only now, Olivier would return as well and they would have a talk. Tommy decided he should head to the main room, to avoid Olivier just a little longer. It was just Eva in the room and that was something Tommy didn't mind at all. Until he saw a flash on the opposite building. The building that was supposed to be empty. Shouting from room next door put the conclusion in his mind that it was a sniper.

'Get down!' he yelled at her and he pushed her down to the floor before she could even react. He covered her from the broken glass as the bullets were fired rapidly after each other and destroyed those big windows and bury themselves in the opposite wall. Cold wind came rushing into the room. Tommy looked at Eva's face, where shock was written all over. He smiled at her.

'Hey,' he said softly.

'Hey,' she told him and she touched his cheek, making it sting. 'You're bleeding.' Tommy followed her touch and when he pulled his hands back, he saw red staining his fingers. He pushed himself in a sitting position, still crouched below the window. Eva did the same.

'It's just a cut,' he said. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah...' she answered, sounding confused. 'Because of you, I guess.' Before Tommy could reply, police officers and Arabela and Sebastian came rushing in with their guns drawn.

'Be careful!' Tommy told them hurriedly. 'There's a sniper in the building across.' The officers put their guns down and Arabela and Sebastian stepped into the room.

'It's clear,' Sebastian told him. 'Local police checked the building but only found a couple of casings. Nothing else.' Tommy looked through the former window and then got up. He helped Eva up as well. Sebastian pointed at his cheek. 'Do you know you're bleeding?' Tommy waved away his concern.

'That is quite a distance to shoot,' he said instead, pointing at the building. 'Must have been a good sniper.'

'Are there any victims?' Eva asked.

'Umm, no deaths and one officer was grazed in his arm.' Arabela answered. 'He's already on his way to hospital and he should make a full recovery. The computers suffered the most damage. Several are destroyed.'

'So someone shot at a police station, not to kill but to destroy computers,' Tommy concluded and the others nodded. 'That makes no sense.

* * *

Olivier walked into the hallway of the station, where everyone had gathered, straight towards Tommy. Tommy took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a lecture.

'Is everyone on the team okay?' he asked, but it didn't sound like true concern to Tommy.

'Yes,' Tommy answered. 'Did Brenn tell you anything about the buyer?'

'Not yet...' Olivier answered and he stared at Tommy for a while. It made Tommy feel uncomfortable and he averted his eyes from Olivier's stare. It didn't surprise him that Brenn hadn't given them anything. He was one stubborn guy. He wasn't going to give up the buyer's name, if he even knew the name. His mouth was staying shut. No deal thrown at him could change that. Also, Brenn tended to get as little information on his buyers as possible. Just in case something like getting arrested happened. When Tommy looked back at Olivier, he was still staring at him.

'You wanted to talk to me?' he reminded him.

'Not now,' Olivier answered. 'We still have all this mess. We need to find out whether this was random or connected to our case.'

'The shooter had clearly targeted the computers at the station,' Sebastian noted, joining their conversation. 'What he didn't know was that it was useless to shoot the computers because everything is backed up on servers, so documents are never lost when something happens to the computer.'

'Is there a specific time when the files get sent to the server?' Olivier asked. Sebastian shook his head.

'It should be instantly put on the server,' he answered. 'Maybe a couple of minutes' delay.'

'So it was a good shooter but no computer expert,' Tommy said. 'Did they find anything on the casings? Anything out of place?'

'Nothing at first glance,' Sebastian answered. 'It has been sent to the lab for an analysis. There has been put a rush on it so results should come in soon.'

* * *

There were a lot of noises coming from the road outside. It was a busy road, but Tommy didn't mind. It was actually easier to just listen to the cars and sit in front of the window. Olivier had taken his moment to give him a lecture. He hadn't yelled at him, which was what surprised Tommy the most. He had expected yelling, and had even mentally prepared for it, but it had been just firm words and one warning: "One more mistake and there will be consequences". And he wasn't allowed near Brenn Reagan. He rubbed the area around his cut as it began to sting a little. He couldn't help to think that there was something more going on with the shooting of last afternoon. Even when Sebastian had said it had just been the computers that were shot. All of this case felt like there was something more to it. He just didn't know what.

Tommy glanced at the door. He was almost waiting for a knock on the door. For Eva to come to his room, but he knew she wanted to be careful. Her being in his room every night was suspicious, even when they didn't share rooms and the rest of the team didn't actually know Eva was in his room. Or maybe she just wanted some time away from him. He knew she had been taken back by his harsh words earlier that morning. Tommy turned to his bed and lay down. He took a deep breath and stroked his tattoo on his wrist. He remembered the day he had gotten it and how angry his mother had been. Tommy felt so proud of his tattoo that he had rushed to his mother and showed it to her right away. Even when his brothers had warned him not to do so. It was so cool and he had felt like he belonged with the big guys. She had yelled at Sean for about half an hour before grounding him. It had been the last time that Tommy was allowed to go with Sean, until he was sixteen and could do whatever he liked.

* * *

_Rose looked beautiful as she walked into the church, towards his brother. A big smile was plastered on her face, which was hidden by a veil. He couldn't help but feel something; something strange. It had been a long time since he had felt that. Especially for Rose. He turned his gaze to Colin, who was standing proud, laughed as the best man whispered something to him. Something Tommy should have done. Or Sean. Not this guy. He wasn't family. _

_ The ceremony was short and Tommy knew he had to get up before his family noticed him. So he put the flyer down and hurried towards the exit. Once he stepped outside, he was pushed into the brick wall of the church. He struggled, but was held tightly. A punch was thrown into his face. He spit the blood that had formed in his mouth on the ground. _

_ 'Tommy.' It was the bitter voice of his father and his heart began to beat faster. The guy let him go and Tommy took deep, painful breaths. _

_ 'Look at me when I talk to you!' his father shouted and Tommy looked up. 'You are one brave guy, showing up at this wedding! You are not welcome!'_

_ 'I had told you not to come.' Tommy turned when he heard Colin's voice. His little brother came walking towards them, in his pristine suit._

_ 'Shouldn't you be at your own wedding?' Tommy asked him spitefully. 'Dancing with your wife?' Colin laughed._

_ 'No, dah and I had something to tell you,' Colin answered. 'Something just as important and Rose will understand. Probably even like it.'_

_ 'Oh yeah, and what is that something you need to tell me?' _

_ Their father stepped in. 'If you ever come back here, we will kill you,' he threatened. 'Not just us...all of the clan know they can kill Tommy McConnel. Everyone who needs ten thousand pounds. You better stay away from us. You are no longer one of us and no longer wanted here!'_

_ 'You...you put a hit on me?!' Tommy asked shocked. 'Because...'_

_ 'Because you betrayed the family!' Colin shouted. 'You betrayed Sean when you joined the coppers! You are no better than them! Now go!' Tommy took a deep breath, not wanting to believe what his family, his own, had just told them._

* * *

_He stood at the center of the camp, like he had done many times. Many camp fire parties found place here. So much laughter, music and simply good times. Now this was the last time he was standing here. The last time he would be at this camp. It was eerily quiet in the camp, as everyone was at the big McConnel wedding. Every traveler loved a party. _

_ 'What are you doing here, Tommy?' Colin asked as he stepped towards the cold downed camp fire. Tommy frowned, not understanding what his brother was doing here when he was at the wedding only minutes ago. 'Don't you know it's dangerous to stand here?'_

_ 'I can handle it,' Tommy replied._

_ 'But can they?' his father asked and Tommy abruptly turned around to see his father standing behind his team. Everyone was on their knees, hands tied behind their back and mouths gagged. Tommy took a step towards them and suddenly men stood behind each member, with a gun pointed at their heads. _

_ 'No!' Tommy shouted as the first gunshot was fired, dropping Olivier to the ground. He wanted to run towards his team, but his feet were stuck. He could not move one inch. All he could do was helplessly watch his team being shot, one by one._

_ 'No...' Tommy whispered, almost no voice left from the screaming when they got to Eva. Tears were rolling over her cheeks and she was looking right at him, pleading him to help her. But he couldn't do anything. He could only watch as the man behind her started to pull the trigger and a bullet..._

Tommy opened his eyes, being met by the white ceiling of his hotel room. His heart was racing in his chest and he slowly sat up. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. Slowly he got out of his bed and walked to the bathroom to throw some water in his face and get something to drink. It had been one crazy dream that had felt so real.

**TBC.**

**And Elaine, it is still not a wonderful world and it will never be! Just got rid of the song, until early this morning because a certain someone sent a certain message! I should have kept this chapter from you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**I apologize for taking such a long time to put this chapter up! I have not forgotten this story! It's just that RL and study have been crazy busy and there just isn't much time for writing. I'm a little stuck on chapter 8 (I like to have several chapters finished before uploading one), but I hopefully get the next chapter out a little sooner. Again, sorry!**

_Chapter 5_

'MCCONNEL!' Olivier's voice was loud and angrier than Tommy had heard before. The others immediately turned to him, a questioning look on their faces. He shrugged at them. He had no idea what he had done this time to make their boss sound so angry at him. The door to the room was thrown open and Olivier stood there fuming. Hickman was standing behind him, but he looked more shocked than angry.

'McConnel,' he repeated.

'Yes?' Tommy asked, not knowing what else to say. He tried to think of a reason. It couldn't be about Brenn. They had already had that lovely talk.

'McConnel...is there something you need to tell us?' Olivier asked. 'Something you happened to have held back when we arrived in the UK?' Tommy looked at the man and slowly he started to realize what this was about. Olivier and Hickman had been talking to Brenn for a long time. Tommy swallowed and was about to answer, when Olivier continued. 'How did you fail to mention there was a hit out on you? A hit of ten thousand pounds! Set by your own father!'

'I didn't think that...' Tommy began.

'I don't want to hear it!' Olivier stated.

'How...why didn't you tell us?' Eva asked and he looked at her. _Why haven't you told me_, was what he translated it as. She looked hurt and worried. Worried something might happen to him.

'I can deal with it,' Tommy answered. 'It has been on my head for years and it hasn't got me in trouble before.' He turned back to Olivier and smiled at his boss. 'Are you going to turn me in for those ten thousand now?'

'Jesus, Tommy, you should take this seriously!' Hickman said. Tommy shrugged.

'My father may have placed this hit on my head, but it doesn't mean something will happen right away,' he told the team. 'Nothing has happened for over ten years. Everyone has probably forgotten all about it.'

'A hit isn't nothing,' Eva told him.

'And we might be dealing with travelers,' Sebastian added. 'They could remember about that hit when they see you.'

'Guys, I'm fine,' he told them.

'Well, McConnel, this just means you're going to join Eva at the station from now on,' Olivier told him. 'You are not going anywhere!'

* * *

The rest of the day didn't get much better for Tommy. Later in the morning Chief Inspector Miles Lennon walked into the station. Tommy sighed deeply when he saw the man. Lennon walked into the room and introduced himself to Olivier.

'I apologize for not being here earlier,' he then said to all of the team. 'There was another case that needed my attention...but when I heard that the fine ICC had come in and already managed to get the station shot up, I knew I had to return.'

'I was just so happy that you were too busy for us,' Tommy replied and he crossed his arms. He hadn't forgotten how the Chief Inspector had treated him during their last case together. Lennon just laughed.

'Couldn't have my favorite ICC member right here and not see him,' he replied. 'Now how comes that each time you're here, the travelers seem to be involved?'

'We're not sure about the connection with the travelers,' Hickman said, trying to keep everything somewhat friendly. Lennon raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything about it.

'Tell me what we got for the case,' he said instead and he opened a file that he was holding in his hands. 'You found the fourth student, right? Did he give us anything useful?'

'Yes, Logan reported to the station yesterday,' Hickman said, 'but unfortunately he couldn't give us anything. He went with a girl and spent his time with her, while his phone had died. There was also nothing in the apartment of the four students. It seems random that they were killed.'

'What about that compass rose?' Lennon asked. 'You say there is no confirmed link to the travelers...but that compass rose is an clear indication for travelers...Your own team member has a similar compass rose tattooed on his arm.' Tommy pulled his sleeve down a little more, suddenly very aware of the tattoo he had gotten, being a stupid boy. 'And your bomber is a former member of the IRA and connected to the travelers. I would say there is an actual connection to the travelers.'

'Brenn Reagan says that he no longer has anything to do with the travelers,' Olivier told. 'He got away from him at the same time he got away from the IRA. Said he needed another, real, job and he couldn't do that being a traveler, so he left the travelers' clan.'

'Still, once a traveler always a traveler,' Lennon noted.

'Is that an observation or your own opinion, Chief Inspector?' Hickman asked, who clearly hadn't forgotten their latest case either. But in this case, Lennon was right and Tommy hated to admit that, but did it either way.

'You're always a traveler in the others' eyes,' he explained. 'Chief Inspector Lennon is a clear example of this. And for the travelers you'll always be the traveler who left. They don't take very kindly to leaving.'

'We discovered that this morning,' Olivier said and he shot a glance at Tommy.

'So what is the next step of action?' Lennon asked. 'Did we get anything from Reagan? Anything useful?'

'Nothing about the case,' Olivier answered. 'He didn't want to give his buyer's name.'

'Well, let's have a chat with the chap,' Lennon said and he walked out of the room. Tommy got up to follow as well, but Hickman stopped him.

'Better if you and Chief Inspector Lennon stay away from each other,' he said and Tommy sighed. He turned around and sat down in the nearest chair.

* * *

Tommy stared at Brenn's picture in the file. He noticed the small scar over his right eyebrow, remembering very well how that had happened. Brenn had been a bit too enthusiastic about this bomb and didn't calculate the blast radius too well. They had both been thrown into the air and Brenn had slammed into a parked car close by. They had both ended up in the hospital for minor injuries but the smile couldn't be wiped off Brenn's face. All he could talk about was how much of a beauty the bomb had been. Tommy shook his head at the memory. They had been both such stupid teenagers. Angry at everything and taking every chance to cause damage to the 'enemy'.

As Tommy continued through the file, one name stood out to him. He remembered her very well. She had been with them all the time, being a part of the team, the smart part, and the one who kept him and Brenn out of too much trouble most of the time. He sighed. That was a life he had given up. Given up because he thought he had a good plan. Yet no one seemed to agree with the plan. He closed the file and got up. He knew what the next step was, but he needed to leave the station for that. A quick glance into the corridor showed that it was clear of any team members. Tommy didn't know where they were but at least they weren't in his way.

* * *

Sneaking in had been easier than Tommy had figured. Maybe it was because he had done it so many times before. He stood in front of the caravan, doubting whether it was indeed a good plan. It was his last connection. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A man opened it and frowned.

'Tommy,' he sighed. 'What are you doing here?'

'Hello, Shey,' Tommy answered and he pushed him out of the way, stepping inside. He couldn't stand outside much longer and risk the chance of getting caught. Luckily it was a quiet afternoon in the camp, with most members gone. He glanced around and noticed the two girls and one boy sitting at the table, drawing.

'Your nieces and nephew,' Shey said casually and he turned to the kids. 'Go to the bedroom, now. Daddy has to talk with the nice man.' The kids quickly did what their father told them and soon it was just Tommy and Shey. 'What do you want, Tommy?'

'What do you know about the shooting at the police station?' he asked and Shey laughed.

'That's right...how is life as a copper?' he asked. 'You like it?'

'I just want to know what you know about the shooting,' Tommy answered, ignoring what Shey just said. At least he was getting further with him than most of his contacts.

'Not more than what was in the media,' Shey answered. 'I try to keep away from those kind of activities. What about that team of yours? I heard things about the last time you were in the camp...'

'They're my colleagues,' Tommy replied. He didn't want to go further into that. 'I just need answers, Shey. So give me some.'

'I didn't do the shooting, if that's your question,' Shey answered and he started to clean the mess the kids had left. 'I was with the kids all day so unable to leave the house. Besides, everyone knows it's stupid to shoot at a police station...and I don't know anyone who would be stupid enough.' Tommy sighed. This was it. His last connection also gave him nothing. 'Umm...Tommy, you should go. Eileen could get home anytime and you know she doesn't want you around the kids...' Tommy nodded, understanding it completely.

'Are you two doing okay?' he asked. 'With money...and the kids?'

'Yeah, we manage,' Shey answered. 'We're doing fine. And the kids are fine as well. They go to school and have friends. You don't have to be the big brother. ' Tommy nodded. He was glad to hear his sister's family was doing okay. 'Tommy...you got to go now...'

'Okay, goodbye, Shey,' Tommy said and he hurried out of the caravan.

'Tommy!' Shey shouted and Tommy turned around to see Shey standing in the door opening. 'You should call your mother...' Tommy raised his eyebrows and nodded. He gave a quick wave and hurried out of the camp.

**TBC.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**Sorry it's taking a long time for the new chapters, but I'm trying my best! There is the problem of RL and my study, as well as something else that's floating through my head and demanding to be written (it's CL related though!). You might seem some of that at some point... **

_Chapter 6_

Surprisingly there had been no yelling. In fact no one had seemed to miss Tommy while he was gone and he didn't know how to feel about that. The others had all been busy with their own stuff, like interrogating Brenn. So when Tommy walked into the room, no one looked surprised and there came no rant from Olivier. Their boss just gave Sebastian a nod, who pointed at his computer right away.

'I got the phone records from Brenn Reagan,' the tech started. 'There were some numbers that returned several times, like his mother's. We didn't see anyone on the list right away, but maybe you can, Tommy?' He handed Tommy the long list of numbers as well, where the frequent phone calls were highlighted. Tommy quickly glanced them over until one name caught his eye, like it had before.

'I know her,' he said. 'Eireen Doyle.'

'Why does that not surprise me?' Lennon replied, sighing. 'You seem to know everyone involved in this case.' Tommy ignored the man and continued with his explanation.

'She used to be Brenn's girlfriend back in the day. Also a member of the IRA and worked with us a couple of times. Especially when she became Brenn's girlfriend. She's an excellent shot. Her father trained her from a young age to become a sniper...saying it would come in handy one day. ' While Tommy spoke, Sebastian had turned to his computer and was typing away.

'Eireen Doyle...twenty-six years old, from Northern Ireland,' he read from his screen as he went through all the information. 'Parents died when she was seventeen... Arrested a couple of time for minor things while in the IRA. There is no gun registered in her name...and nothing much since she left the IRA, which seems to be around the same time Tommy left.'

'If she had been involved with the IRA, she would have never gotten that registration,' Lennon noted. 'Though the black market is big enough to find one gun for some girl...and she knew how to get in touch with a bomber.'

'But Eireen was a sweet girl,' Tommy stated. 'Why would she kill three innocent students? She was always smart and never wanted to hurt the innocents. Besides, she would never implicate the travelers for a murder. They are her family.'

'Well your father is your family and he has a hit out on you,' Arabela interjected. 'Family doesn't mean anything.'

'Maybe she was forced to leave the travelers as well,' Eva suggested. 'Because she left the IRA...or she left by choice because she didn't have anything left with the travelers. Her parents were both gone and her partners left as well.'

'You said she _was_ his girlfriend...How did the relationship end between Brenn and Eireen?' Hickman asked.

'Not entirely clear,' Tommy answered honestly. 'It ended about a year after I left and Brenn was pretty vague about it. By then I no longer had contact with Eireen and not long after Brenn didn't have contact either.'

'Okay, so we have this girl, Eireen, who had regular calls with the bomber of this case and she has been off the map for ten years?' Lennon summed up. 'I suggest we take a look at her. Is there an address listed?' Sebastian nodded and read it from the screen. Lennon nodded. 'Okay, that's in the outskirts of London. We can be there in no time. You want to come?'

'Yes,' Olivier answered and he turned to Tommy. 'But you are staying here.' Tommy wanted to protest, but decided against it and he sat down, arms crossed in front of him. Then Olivier pointed at Eva. 'And you're coming.' Eva looked surprised and Tommy gave her a reassuring smile. She should go. They all should go. So Tommy sat nothing and waited patiently till they had all left the room. Then he got up.

* * *

The building hadn't improved in the years. Tommy took a deep breath as he stood in front of it. This place had been Eireen's favorite. The one safe house she preferred going to. She called the place 'as close as home as it could get'. Tommy and Brenn had never understood why, but they were never difficult about giving in to Eireen. Tommy walked to the door and twisted the doorknob. It was old and you could still easily enter into the hallway. Inside it was quiet and mostly empty. Quickly Tommy moved up the stairs, to the room they usually stayed in. Not much had changed in ten years. No one had bothered to do so. Only in 'their' room there was now a table, with several computer screens on it. Papers were scattered all over the room, with words that made no sense to Tommy. It looked like rambling. He did recognize Eireen's handwriting. He had been right going to this place. Next thing to do was turning on the screens. They showed several rooms and Tommy tried to recognize them, but couldn't. Until he saw something move on the screen all the way to the right: his team. The house was Eireen's house and someone was watching it. Tommy glanced down at the papers and saw something that could be the plan of the house. He studied it a bit more carefully and was confused by the markings on it. They seemed familiar and he had to dig deep in his memory from where he did recognized them.

'Shite!' Tommy cursed and he immediately grabbed his phone, dialing Olivier's number.

'_McConnel, you better have a damn good..._' He saw Olivier reaching for the door towards the bedroom...

'STOP!'

* * *

Olivier had pulled his hand back and had turned to rest of the team, which had gathered in the hallway. Tommy's heart was beating like crazy in his chest. That had been close. He took a deep breath.

'_McConnel, what's going on?!_'

'The house is booby trapped, sir. They wanted you inside and then have you open a door, causing an explos...' Blinking from the left screen grabbed Tommy's attention. Another curse slipped his lips.

'_McConnel...what do you mean booby trapped and how do you know all of this?_' Olivier sounded impatient but Tommy was looking at the other screen. In big green numbers it showed a countdown. They had triggered something entering the house. Or he had, entering the room.

'You need to leave the room right now! The house is going to explode!' He could hear Olivier yelling over the phone and on the screen he saw everyone moving towards the door. A quick glance at the timer told him they were cutting it close. They needed some distance from the house to be safe. He didn't know how big the blast radius would be.

'Is everyone out, sir?' He heard movement, but nothing from his boss. Then an explosion and sudden eerie stillness from the other side of the line. Tommy turned to the screens but they had all gone to static. He stood frozen for several seconds before dialing once again. His heart was beating rapidly and it seemed like his brain had shutdown, until he heard a voice.

'_We're all okay, Tommy._' Tommy took a deep relieved breath as Eva spoke those words. For a moment he had been so afraid that it had gone wrong. '_Are you okay?_'

'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just happy to hear your voice and that everyone is okay.'

'_How did you know about the bombs?_' Tommy looked around in the room, in search of an answer. But he came up empty and people had told him several times he was a bad liar so he just went for the truth.

'I followed a lead.'

'_Olivier looks ready to kill you for defying his orders_.' Tommy started to laugh.

'He would have been dead if I hadn't defied those orders. He should be happy.' His laughter died quickly when he was reminded how close it had been. 'I'm glad you're okay.'

'_We're on our way back to the station. You better be there._' He didn't know whether that were Olivier's orders or something Eva wanted. He knew he had to see her to fully believe she was in fact okay. Sometimes the definitions of okay differed between people. Tommy quickly photographed everything he saw in the room and gathered the papers. They would have to come back for the computers later. For now the papers would do.

* * *

Tommy had dumped all the papers on the table right away, so the team would be busy, and quickly snuck out. He cornered Eva at the toilets.

'How are you doing?' he asked worried. This had been the first action for her since she had gotten back to work. Something you never could truly prepare for. She smiled at him and placed her hand against him cheek.

'Like I said on the phone: I'm okay,' she told him, smiling. Then her face turned serious and her hand was removed. 'You on the other hand were so stupid for going off on your own! Anything could have happened!'

'Nothing did happen, Eva,' he said. 'And nothing will happen. Okay?' He glanced around and gave her a quick kiss once the coast was clear. He leaned his forehead against her. 'I'm here and you're here...we're both okay.' Eva gave him a sweet smile and then pulled away from him.

'Hickman and Olivier are back in with Brenn,' she told him. 'To see if he will give them anything on Eireen...we could watch?' Tommy nodded and together they headed to the observation room. Brenn was sitting very calmly behind the table, looking at Hickman and Olivier.

'_...cut contact with her. She wasn't happy about that...but I just couldn't deal with it anymore. She was changed...and constantly rambling about stuff I didn't understand. I loved her but I don't do well with crazy._' Tommy wondered what the rambling was about. She seemed to have started not longer after all three of them quit IRA...and it had continued for ten years. In those ten years the crazy thoughts must have gotten only worse, as she had no one who took care of her. Or worried about her. He felt guilty in a way. He had never reached out to her. Maybe he should have tried. Ignore the fact she had been angry with him and just keep on trying reaching out to her. Maybe then she wouldn't have gotten so crazy.

'_...I don't even know what she's capable of, so yes, maybe she is behind all of this._'

* * *

Tommy was pacing through his small hotel room, unsure of what he should do. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night because his mind didn't seem to shut off. They had to find Eireen somehow. She had blown up her place and 'their' room had just been filled with papers with rambling that made no sense to anyone of the team. Sometimes Arabela had recognized some words and sometimes Tommy had, but nothing clicked once they knew some words. They had even showed it to Brenn, who recognized some of it from back when he was with Eireen but it also made no sense to him. Nothing made sense when it came to Eireen. She was no longer the girl Tommy knew. Brenn had never told him about Eireen starting to turn crazy, but then again they hadn't shared much of their lives with each other. Tommy had never asked about Eireen, until Brenn told him he broke up with Eireen. That had been the only time Tommy had been concerned about his former partner. The only time. He hadn't even thought about her once Brenn was involved in the case. But it made sense. With Eireen as buyer, the chance of Brenn giving her up was even smaller. Never betray family...and even when they had broken up, Eireen was still family in a way.

But Eireen couldn't have come up with all of this by herself. Not when she was as erratic as her writing. She would be a mess. So someone could be helping her. Tommy sighed. Maybe there was something left to try. He took his phone and dialed the number of his oldest sister, Ann. She had been friends with Eireen. Even taken her under her wing a little.

'_Tommy._'

'Ann, just listen for a second: it's about Eireen. Do you know anything about her?' It was silent for a moment, but then his sister's voice returned.

'_No...not really. One day she was just gone from the camp. No note, nor did she take anything from her family's trailer. She just left one night. She had some problems though...erratic behavior. Dah tried to help her...in the name of his promise to her father...but it didn't help..._' Their families had been close. Eireen had become some sort of an adopted sister to Tommy when her parents had died. His father had been protective of her.

'What about dah? Anything going on with him?'

'_No...he's at home. After your stunt with Scotland Yard, he was taken in but our brother Colin took all the blame. For which he is in jail, by the way. Thanks from Rose for that. Leaving her to fend for her own with two little kids._'

'Dah is out?'

'_Tommy, where are you?_' Tommy was about to answer when someone knocked on his door.

'I got to go, Ann.' He ended the call and opened the door. Arabela stood in front of it, looking shocked and worried.

'We have to go to the hospital,' she told him hastily.

**TBC.**

**Sorry for the cliffhanger!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**I apologize for the wait. It was just me being a bit dumb, thinking I had sent this chapter to my sister and it was taking soo long. Turned out I had sent chapter 6 and never a new chapter again. But my sister made me realize my mistake and after I sent her chapter 7, she quickly checked it. So here it is.**

_Chapter 7_

When Tommy looked down he was surprised to see that he was wearing socks. He didn't remember putting on socks. Then again he could only vaguely remember getting dressed after Arabela told him that they needed to go to the hospital. It had taken him several times before she could tell him why. Sebastian had been shot down by a sniper when he had gone for coffee at the cafe across the street. The stupid coffee that was supposedly better than the coffee at the hotel. Now they were sitting in the waiting room, hoping for some good news. Tommy looked to his left and wondered how everyone could sit there so silently. He felt like jumping out of his skin. But maybe they did as well. It just didn't show.

'What is taking that bloody doctor so long to give us an update?' he asked and he turned to the nurses' station. It had been almost two hours. Someone should be able to give them an update.

'Let's go for a coffee, Tommy,' Arabela suggested but Tommy shook his head. He wanted to stay here, in case there was an update. Besides, coffee was how this whole situation started. Tommy started to hate hospitals. Nothing good ever came from them, or before them.

'Should we call Kathrin?' Eva wondered out loud. Kathrin and Erik... Tommy hadn't even thought about them. They should know Sebastian was in the hospital. They were his family. Or at least Erik was.

'We should wait until we know more,' Hickman answered.

'If we ever know more than 'he has been shot',' Tommy added irritatedly.

'I will go to the desk and ask,' Olivier said and he seemed glad to get away from the team. Tommy watched the man hurry off, in search of a nurse or doctor. He couldn't imagine this was easy for Olivier. Only three weeks on the job and already one team member shot. No wonder he was happy to leave the rest of the team alone. They hadn't been welcoming to him and this didn't seem to make it better. Then again Sienna had died after being on the job for just weeks. Being safe and sound wasn't a guarantee with this job. Certainly not with a crazy woman on the loose.

* * *

It took the doctors four hours before they gave the team an update. It was a good one: Sebastian had made it through the surgery and should make a full recovery. The bullet had entered his chest, but fortunately had missed his heart. After another hour of waiting the team was allowed to go in and see him. Tommy was glad to see his friend sitting in the bed with a grin on his face.

'Hey guys,' Sebastian greeted them. 'Sorry for the rude wake-up call.'

'How are you feeling?' Eva asked and she touched his shoulder gently.

'Umm...I have been better,' he answered. 'You guys better find this shooter because this really hurts...well it did hurt before I got the pain meds.' He pointed in the direction of the IV bags hanging near his bed. Tommy couldn't help but chuckle. Those pain meds indeed seemed to work just fine.

'Did you notice anything when you got shot?' Olivier asked. Sebastian shook his head.

'No...I was working on balancing the coffees,' he answered. 'And before I knew it there was this huge pain explosion in my chest and I fell on the ground...I don't even remember the ambulance arriving...just waking in this bed.'

'The doctors told us you were very lucky,' Arabela told him. 'Just a little to the left and your heart would have been hit.' Sebastian's hand went to his chest, as if he had to made sure his heart was still beating soundly. Tommy looked at his friend and made a decision. He nudged Eva, who turned to him.

'I need to go outside,' he whispered at her, 'to make a phone call.' Eva nodded and Tommy headed out of the door. Making sure none of the team was in hearing range he grabbed his phone and dialed the number.

'_What is it this time, Tommy?_'

'I need your help, Shey...I need to know if you know where Eireen Doyle is. I'm pretty sure she just shot my friend.'

'_Eireen Doyle? Why do you think that I would know where that girl is? She is crazy, Tommy. I honestly know nothing about Eireen. She's a whole other thing and something I can't get involved in. Not when the kids and your sister depend on me._' Tommy sighed. He had expected that answer. Eireen had gone under and was only getting out when needed. There was just one more thing bugging him. Something Shey could help him with.

'I just need to ask one more thing...'

* * *

Was that the right choice he just made, Tommy asked himself as he hang up. It was either the right one or a really bad one and right now he didn't know which one. He wished he did because that would make it just so much easier. Nor did he know how to feel that he just asked this of his brother-in-law. It could get Shey in trouble

'Everything alright?' Hickman's voice made Tommy jump and he quickly turned around. His older coworker was standing a few meters away from him, watching him. Tommy wondered how much he had heard, if any. Then he was reminded of their earlier conversation and he sighed. He wasn't up for another long talk about all the wrongs he had done with his brother.

'What are you thinking about?' Hickman asked, nodding at his phone. Tommy turned his gaze back at the phone. Yeah, what was he doing?

'I don't know,' he answered. 'Not right now.' Hickman nodded and seemed to leave it that. He looked like he was about to turn back.

'Just...don't do anything stupid,' Hickman told him and then he left. Tommy waited for a moment, thinking about what was the stupid thing. Then he headed back as well. Through the window he could see his team gathered around Sebastian's bed, listening to something Arabela was telling them. Eva saw him standing and gave him a questioning glance. Tommy took a deep breath and walked inside. She leaned towards him.

'Are you okay?' she asked.

'Yeah, I am,' Tommy answered and he gave her a little smile, as if it was some kind of prove of his well-being. Her fingers quickly grazed his. He turned his attention to the story Arabela was telling, trying to catch up, but the words seemed to fly past him. All he could see was the faces of his team and he took a deep breath. His decision had been the right one.

* * *

'I'm sorry to hear about Berger,' Lennon offered the team as soon as they walked into the station. He walked along with them towards the main room, showing pictures of bullets along the way. 'The ballistics came back and the bullet Sebastian was shot with matches the bullets used to kill the students and the bullets in the police station shooting. It's all connected. I promise we will do whatever to catch this guy.'

'It's not a guy,' Tommy said and abruptly everyone stopped walking. All eyes were on him.

'Care to explain, McConnel?' Olivier asked and he sounded irritated. Tommy took a deep breath.

'It's Eireen Doyle,' he answered. 'I didn't think it could be her. She was always kind and smart when I knew her. But Brenn told you himself: she had become crazy. It would also explain why Brenn is keeping his mouth so firmly shut about his buyer. He would never betray Eireen and he would build a bomb for her without asking questions. I have been calling around and they all said Eireen was crazy and showing erratic behavior. She would have been good enough and crazy enough to start shooting at the station and to shoot Sebastian in broad daylight. You have seen the papers with rambling...that is no sane person.'

'Why did you decide to hold this back?' Lennon asked. 'We could have used that information a long time ago.'

'Because I wasn't convinced it could be her!' Tommy said, raising the volume of his voice. 'I still don't have all the proof...just parts of it...'

'Do you have a location on her?' Olivier asked. 'A more current one than the registered address.' Tommy shook his head.

'That's also why I have been calling around. She seems to have disappeared. Even when we were still kids she had been great at hiding and staying out of sight...which came in handy when we joined the IRA. But no one has seen her for years...' After he answered, it stayed silent for a while. The others seemed to gather their thoughts about this new information. Tommy watched their faces intensely, hoping to see something he could work with.

'Could this be connected to you, Tommy?' Hickman then asked, which seemed to be the question on everyone's mind. Tommy glanced at Eva, who looked very worriedly at him.

'I don't know,' he answered. 'She is crazy and could be just acting out all the craziness that had been building up during all those years being on her own...wouldn't she have acted earlier or in a different way if this had been connected to me?'

* * *

'Tommy, calm down and come sit next to me,' Eva said and she patted the spot next to her on the bed. Tommy stopped his pacing and he turned to her. For a moment he just looked at her.

'I don't think it's all a coincidence,' he then admitted and Eva raised her eyebrows.

'What do you mean?' she asked. 'You said that you didn't know.' Tommy ran a hand over his face and sat down on the bed, facing her.

'I'm quite sure that Eireen is after me,' he answered. 'For some reason...or because every traveler seems to hate me. I just think it's all linked to me...and that's why I had to make a call. I need to talk to my father.' Eva immediately began to shake her head and Tommy took her hands.

'You can't go and talk to your father,' she told him.

'No, I have to talk to him,' he interrupted her and Eva pulled her hands from his hold, staring confusedly and angrily at him. 'I can't make sense of why she would be after me, beside that my father might have used her state of mind and instructed her to go after me. Put all the blame of her problems on me. So I have to talk to my father. Shey is trying to arrange it as we...'

'That's too dangerous! Your father wants you dead!' Now Eva had gotten up from the bed and was staring at him. Shocked that he would try such a thing. Tommy took a deep breath. He needed her to understand why. Why he was willing to risk everything. He stood up as well and took a step towards, resulting in Eva backing up.

'Eva...' he said quietly and she looked at him. He took another step towards her and this time she stayed put. 'I just need the team to be safe...I need you to be safe.' He put a hand against her cheek, wiping a tear away. 'This is the way to assure that.'

'Don't go,' Eva whispered and more tears started to roll over her cheeks. Too many for Tommy to wipe away. She was staring at him while she silently cried and Tommy didn't know what to say to her. He didn't want to go. He wanted to be with her. With his forehead he leaned against hers, hoping to find the right words to say.

'Please, don't go,' she begged him in a soft whisper. Her voice sounded broken and it pained her to make her feel this pain. Tommy took a shaky breath and he kissed her softly.

* * *

The room was dark, but Tommy was sitting upright in his bed. His eyes were glued on Eva's chest that rose and fell in accordance of her slow breathing. Her sleep was peaceful for once. Something that hadn't happened often in the last couple of weeks. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, causing Eva to stir, but she stayed asleep. He wished he could stay here with her. Pull her in his arms like he had done many times before. To make sure she felt safe and okay. But that wasn't the way to make sure she was okay and safe. Not right now. He had gone through all the options in his mind. This wasn't his only one, but it was the one that would make sure she and the rest of the team would be safe. No one would get shot because of him. Unfortunately that knowledge didn't make it easier. He still longed to lie down with Eva and forget the rest of the world. Tommy took a deep breath and leaned in. He kissed her softly, trying to make it last. But he had to pull back. Just one more glance and one more wish of staying and then Tommy stood up.

'Ti amo,' he whispered and then he quietly left the room.

**TBC.**

**And he's gone. **


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**Exam weeks hell is over and all projects are handed in. So enough time to post another chapter. Especially since I left it at a nice place, didn't I? Well now there is more. Enjoy!**

_Chapter 8_

Eva felt like something was off, but couldn't place what it was. It hadn't been a nightmare, or at least not that she could remember. Neither was she out of breath, drenched in sweat or tangled in the sheets. But something was off. Then she noticed the empty space beside her. She glanced around and realized she was in Tommy's hotel room, yet he wasn't here. The door to the bathroom was open but there was no light coming from that room. Eva grabbed her phone right away and dialed Tommy. What had he done? Had he not heard her last night? The phone rang several times and eventually went to voicemail. Eva didn't bother leaving a message and redialed right away. He had to answer her! After four tries she gave up and headed towards the door, before realizing she was dressed in her pajamas. Quickly she changed in some regular clothes and hurried out of the room. She stopped in front of Hickman's door and raised her hand to knock on the door. Was Hickman the right one to go to or should she actually go to their boss first? After a few seconds she knocked on his door. Olivier would only be angry and ranting about Tommy not following the rules. Hickman would be able to help right away. Eva knocked again on the door when there was no answer right away. A little louder this time.

'Hold your horses!' Hickman said annoyedly from behind the door. "I'm coming!' He looked surprised when he opened the door and saw Eva. 'Eva? Everything okay?' She shook her head.

'I think Tommy left to find his father,' she told him stumbling. Without another word Hickman opened the door farther and let Eva walk inside. Inside she started to pace around the room, nervously biting on her thumbnail.

'Why do you think he went to find his father?' Hickman asked calmly. As Eva started her explanation, Hickman grabbed his phone.

'Last night he told me Eireen had to get help from someone and he seemed to be sure it was all connected to him...so he assumed his father was helping her. That he put the idea of Tommy needing to be...be punished in her head. Tommy said he had to find his father and put an end to it all. I told him it was too dangerous and asked him not to leave. I thought I had gotten through to him, but you know Tommy... When I woke up, he was gone!' Eva noticed the older man raising his eyebrows, but he let her continued. 'Right away I tried calling him, but he isn't answering his phone... it doesn't go to voicemail right away. That's a good thing right?' Hickman placed a hand on her arm, to calm her down. She looked at him through her tearful eyes.

'It will be okay, Eva,' he told her. 'I texted the others and they should be here soon. We'll get a trace on his phone and as soon as we have a location, we'll go get him. So sit down and try to stay calm.' He guided her to the bed and Eva sat down as she nodded. It was better to be calm. Calm and focused. But how could Tommy have done this? After she begged him... Why did he have go lone wolf? Eva continued chewing her thumbnail.

'Vittoria, what is this about McConnel disappearing?' Olivier's voiced sounded and Eva looked up at their boss. She hadn't even heard him coming in. Olivier stood in front of her with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Arabela stood behind him, looking worried.

'Eva went to get Tommy for their six a.m. workout, but he wasn't in his hotel room,' Hickman covered for Eva, as she struggled to find words. 'She has tried calling him, but he doesn't answer. However, his phone is on.' That statement put Arabela on alert and she put a laptop down on the desk, opening several programs to locate the phone.

'Why does McConnel never seem to follow my rules?' Olivier fumed.

'Tommy has never been too big about the rules,' Arabela noted without her eyes leaving the screen.

'Could we focus on finding him, please?' Eva mumbled, not wanting to hear about Olivier's plans for punishment or ranting. 'What is our plan?'

'We're going to find him and save his ass,' Hickman answered, trying to reassure her, but failing at it right now. 'Everything is going to be okay.' Eva gave a nod for his sake but she didn't have as much faith herself. Tommy wouldn't want to be found and was heading into the hands of a crazy woman who wanted revenge or those of his hateful father who wanted him dead, by himself.

* * *

Tommy's phone kept ringing and most of the times it was Eva's name that popped up on his screen. It pained his heart and he was tempted to answer her calls. Just to talk to her and explain one more time why he had to leave. Most of all he was tempted to turn around and return to her. Stay with her. But he couldn't. Not when he knew Eireen was now out there, hunting the team. He couldn't handle another of them getting hurt. So he took his phone apart and spread the pieces over several trash bins. He was sure that by now the entire team knew about him going lone wolf and they would be trying to locate him. The team couldn't come with him; not when he was meeting Shey. Trying to convince Shey of the plan was already hard enough without his team breathing in his neck. Nor did he need a reminder of the woman he had left behind.

* * *

Eva had returned to pacing when the team had arrived at the precinct. She couldn't get herself to sit down and focus. Instead she was still trying to call Tommy every couple of minutes. By now Tommy had turned off his phone and all her calls went straight to voicemail each time. He had probably dumped his phone. It didn't make Eva give up the useless tries, though. Her hands began to shake when she wanted to redial once again and this time she put her phone on the table. It was useless. She should do something.

'How are you doing, Eva?' Hickman asked and he put her hand on her shoulder, which Eva shrugged off right away with a shudder. She avoided eye contact with Hickman, ashamed of her automatic reaction and struggling to find the right words. Struggling to keep it all together. Hickman seemed to notice and put his hand on her arm. 'Why don't you take a seat?' She glanced at him and he nodded at the chair next to her. Slowly she sat down and Hickman sat down as well. She kept her eyes on him, hoping he had some wise words to offer, but Hickman stayed silent. He had simply put his hand on hers and was watching her. Maybe that was the wisdom; taking a moment to calm down. But Eva felt useless when she was like this. Being emotional wasn't going to help Tommy get back, or in any way. Unfortunately it was all she could feel at this moment.

'He...he left...' she mumbled, turning her eyes to the table surface. 'I begged him not to go and he still left...what does that mean?' She looked at Hickman again, hoping he had all the answers to the questions she was asking herself over and over.

'He said he wants it to just end,' Hickman offered. 'He doesn't always have the brightest ideas. Even when they are always good of heart. His guilt is probably saying he needs to do this. But we're a team and we'll find him. We always find our team members.' He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she offered him a weak smile. With every part of her being she hoped they would find him in time. Before he could do something stupid.

'Take a moment to collect yourself and then return to us,' Hickman told her. 'We're trying to locate Michael McConnel, Tommy's father, to see if he can guide us to Tommy.' Eva took a deep breath and nodded. Hickman gave her hand a quick squeeze before he left the room.

* * *

It was busy in the pub and there was a lot of chatter around Tommy as he was waiting for Shey to arrive. He toyed with the coaster and glanced around. It was still early in the day but people were already drinking and some even drunk. Tommy sighed. A drink actually didn't sound too bad right now. The waiting gave his mind time to wander. He tried to stop it, but it wandered straight to Eva. To having to leave her behind. Even after he said he would be there for her. He had just left.

'You know you're crazy for doing this, right?' Shey asked as he sat down next to Tommy. 'Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself in with this absurd plan? What will happen?' Tommy threw the coaster back on the bar and looked at his brother-in-law. Of course he would know what would happen!

'My friends will be safe,' he replied with a firm tone. 'Random people in London will be safe again. No one is getting hurt because of me. That is what's going to happen.' Shey shook his head.

'I always knew you were the crazy one in the family...' he mumbled. 'Aileen mentioned it so many times...and still here we go. I'm even helping you with this crazy plan...' Tommy looked at Shey. He couldn't back out now. Tommy needed his help for the plan to work.

'You can use the money,' Tommy said. 'For your family. Ten thousand pounds is a lot of money.' Shey chuckled.

'Do you really think I'm doing this for the money?' he asked in disbelief. 'Cause I'm not. I'm doing this because you practically begged me to help you. I don't betray family. Never. Definitely not for any amount of money.' Tommy frowned at him. What did he exactly mean by that? Did he think Tommy did that? Shey must have noticed his hesitation as he shook his head. 'I didn't mean it like that, Tommy. I know you never betrayed the family. It's just that you are family and you are asking me to betray you...it feels wrong. I don't know if we should be doing this. It doesn't feel right, Tommy...'

'Shey, please,' Tommy sighed. He didn't want to continue trying to convince Shey. He knew it wasn't the best plan. It could end very badly. But Sebastian was already in the hospital because of Eireen. She needed to be stopped. Even if his father had nothing to do with Eireen going on a killing spree, he could probably help him to find Eireen and talk her out of her crazy place. Eireen liked his father. Eireen had to be stopped and Tommy was willing to take the chance it would all go wrong for him. 'Just tell my father where he can find me and take that money. There is nothing else you will need to do. After that it will be over for you.' Shey took a deep breath and then slowly nodded.

'Okay, I will call him,' he said and Tommy offered him a weak smile. 'I just don't want your team hunting me because I sold you out to your father. I will tell them it was all your plan.'

'Don't worry,' Tommy assured him, 'they will know it was my plan and that I dragged you into this.' He fell silent for a moment, just looking at the other man. Then he patted him on his back. 'You have done so much for me...thank you. Take care of my sister and those cute kids.' Shey stood up.

'Good luck, deartháir,' he said. 'You will need it.' Shey turned around and walked to the exit. Tommy watched him go and then turned to the barman.

* * *

'_How did that plan even get in his head?_' Sebastian asked over the phone. The news about Tommy's disappearing act had reached him at the hospital and he had called the team right away. '_This must be one of the dumbest things he has ever done!_'

'He seems to want to end this,' Olivier noted, 'but enough about all the possible reasons for why McConnel did this...we need to find him and Eireen Doyle. I know you have your laptop with you. Are you able to get Tommy's phone records?' Eva's heart made a little jump, which she hated. She hated that she felt a hint of worry that Sebastian would notice that she and Tommy called almost every night for the last couple of weeks. It shouldn't be the thing for her to worry about. It shouldn't matter if those records would help them locate Tommy.

'_Okay, Tommy had several calls with his brother-in-law Shey O'Toole, who is married to his sister Aileen. They live right here in London. The last call between them was this morning...probably just after he left the hotel._'

'Do you have an address for us?' Hickman asked.

'_I can find it_,' Sebastian answered. '_Just give me a second_.' They could hear him typing quickly on the keypad. Eva began to chew her thumbnail again. They were getting closer. If Tommy called Shey this morning, Shey would know where Tommy was. It didn't take long before they heard Sebastian's voice again, giving them the address. Arabela wrote it down on a piece of paper.

'Okay, thank you, Berger,' Olivier said.

'_Just keep me posted and call whenever you need anything. I'm going to be stuck here either way so I have all the time_.'

'We will,' Olivier assured. 'Just rest for now.' He ended the phone call with Sebastian and he turned to the rest of the team. 'Okay. we're going to see what Shey O'Toole has to tell us about Tommy.' Eva nodded along with the others and was already on her way to the exit, when Olivier stopped her.

'You're not coming along, Vittoria,' he told her firmly, making it clear it wasn't up for discussion. 'You will stay here.' Eva looked at her boss in shock. He couldn't be thinking about benching her now! Hickman stepped beside her, putting a hand on her arm.

'Maybe you can go to Sebastian with the files,' he suggested. 'See if you two can find something that will help us.' Eva sighed and turned to the pile of files. She wished she could be going with the team. That way she felt like she was at least doing something real.

* * *

Tommy drank the last bit of his Guinness and put it down on the bar. Maybe drinking wasn't the best thing to do at a moment like this, but it could be his last and it was just the one drink. Also it would be a bit suspicious if he just sits at the bar.

'Well, this is a surprise.' Tommy jumped and he turned his head. Eireen was sitting on the stool next to him, with a smile on her face. She hadn't changed since the last time he had seen her. Just a little older and more tired. But she still looked like the sweet girl she had been. She ran a hand through her hair. 'We should take a walk.' Tommy turned his gaze back at his empty glass.

'I'm just fine sitting right here,' he replied and he raised his arm, indicating he wanted another Guinness. With Eireen right here, he could use another drink. But before the bartender turned to him, Tommy felt something solid hitting his knee. Tommy lowered his arm and looked at his knee. Eireen had a gun pointed at his knee.

'I think we're going to take that walk,' she said. Tommy sighed and took a couple of bills from his pocket, throwing them on the bar as payment for his drink. There was no other choice than taking that walk. Cold rain hit his face as they stepped outside. Eireen linked her arm through his, while keeping the gun pointed at his side.

'Why are you doing this, Eireen?' he asked her as they started to walk.

'You ruined everything!' she answered and anger started to seep through. 'Our group fell apart. Brenn left me behind. I ended up all by myself! While you had promise I would never be alone again. All because you had to leave!'

'Scotland Yard was going to put us in jail!' he told her. 'I had no choice. I didn't want to leave you...I know what I promised. But I didn't have any other choice.'

'You always have a choice!' Eireen said in a louder voice. 'You just chose the easiest option for you! To save yourself. We didn't matter!' Eireen stopped in front of a car and Tommy looked at her. Tears were forming in her eyes and her lip was trembling. It was clear that she felt betrayed by him.

'Eireen...'

'Shut up!' Before Tommy could say anything else, Eireen let his arm go and pistol whipped him across the face. Tommy fell to the ground before he lost consciousness.

**TBC.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**Sorry for the wait! I had planned to post it last Tuesday/Wednesday but when my sister returned the chapter, I realized a part of the chapter was missing (I somehow skipped over it) and I had to figure out what to do plus find time to write in my pretty busy schedule. So it took a bit longer, which is all my fault, but I hope you will still enjoy the chapter!**

_Chapter 9_

Eva took one more quick look at the files in her hands. They should be the last ones they could use. She put the files in the box and gathered her stuff so she could head for the hospital. Arabela had texted them that they arrived at Shey's house, but no one was home. They were going to see if anyone else could tell them anything. Eva didn't have much hope for it. It had been clear with this case that no one was actually telling the police anything. She took her box and headed out, only to be stopped when she heard her name. A man was standing at the desk, talking to the officer and he pointed at her as soon as he noticed her. Eva raised her eyebrow and walked over.

'Sergente Vittoria, this man claims he has information for you,' the officer said.

'Could you make sure this box gets to Berger?' she asked the officer, placing the box on the desk, and the officer nodded. Then she turned to the man. 'I'm sergente Vittoria, how can I help you?'

'I'm Shey O'Toole,' the man introduced himself and Eva was immediately on high alert.

'Follow me,' she said, walking them to an empty room where they could talk. 'We have been looking for you.' Shey nodded and sat down in a chair.

'I already kind of assumed you would,' he replied. 'Tommy asked me if I knew a way of contacting his father. He wanted me to turn him in to his father and that I would get the ten thousand pounds... We met up at a pub downtown. When I was on my way home...I realized how stupid the plan was and I returned to the pub, hoping I could change his mind about this ridiculous plan of his.' Eva sighed. If Shey was here, it meant something had gone wrong.

'When I got there, Tommy was already gone,' Shey continued. 'I asked the barman, who told me Tommy walked out with a woman. I know Tommy wouldn't have left that pub without meeting with his father...I think the woman was Eireen...and if that's true, Tommy is in big trouble.'

'Bigger trouble than meeting his father?' Eva asked and Shey nodded.

'My father-in-law is going easy on Tommy...considering the circumstances,' he answered and Eva frowned. What did he mean by that? 'Eireen probably won't kill him, right away...the time won't be pleasant. She will drag out the pain before ending it.'

'Do you have any idea where Eireen could have taken Tommy?' Eva asked. Shey shook his head and Eva sighed.

* * *

Freezing cold water thrown into his face was what awoke Tommy abruptly. He coughed and spit out the water that had gotten in his mouth. His arms and shoulders were hurting as he was hanging from the ceiling. The chains were cutting into his wrists. The pain in his head was barely tolerable. Less than when he was grazed by a bullet and he went running around without pain meds, but it still hurt like a bitch.

'You messed up big time, Tommy McConnel.' He had to blink a few times before Eireen came into focus. She was standing right in front of him. She was holding an empty bucket in her hands. 'We could have had a fun time...it's actually a pity you showed up at the pub. It was fun to shoot your friend and I would have liked going after the rest of the team. It would have been a challenge.'

'You should get out of the past and start to live,' he growled at her. 'It has been years since we were a team.' Eireen shrugged and she circled around him.

'I just miss us...our friendship,' she said. 'All the time we spent together. Laughing, talking, drinking till the late hours. We had so much fun. It's like everyone has forgotten about that...has forgotten me...like I never even mattered to anyone.'

'You mattered to me, Eireen,' Tommy said and Eireen stopped in her tracks. She was staring at her feet and seemed deep in thought. 'You always mattered to me. You know that. I never contacted you because that was the way to protect you! I was with the cops and I needed to keep you away from everything. I was protecting you!'

'Well that didn't work,' Eireen said calmly and this time she looked directly at him. Her eyes were empty and it scared Tommy. He could handle Eireen and her emotions, but he didn't know what to do when there was nothing. Eireen raised her arm and flung the bucket into his ribs. Tommy gasped in pain as the bucket kept hitting him. It didn't take long for Eireen to drop the bucket and use her fists instead. The punches were in rage and came down hard.

'You left me alone with Brenn!' she said and the punch was thrown into his abdomen. 'He left me and you never came!' Another punch. 'You forgot about all of us while you went up the ranks.' Punch. 'You should pay for what you did to me!'

* * *

'Eireen has Tommy,' Eva said as soon as the rest of the team walked into the room. She looked at the faces of the team. All of them looked worried and it stressed Eva even more. It was bad, really bad. 'Shey just walked into the precinct about half an hour ago and he told me that Tommy had this crazy plan of seeing his father, but Eireen came in first. Shey returned to get him, but he wasn't there.'

'Shey came to the precinct?' Olivier asked in surprise. Eva nodded quickly. It wasn't the information Olivier should be focusing on. Eireen, who had been on a killing spree, had Tommy, who she blamed for everything.

'He's next door in case we need to ask him anything else,' she said. 'He wants to help.'

'Did he give you anything else?' Hickman asked. 'Like where she could be?'

'Shey didn't know,' Eva answered. 'But he did mention Brenn Reagan. If anyone would know something about Eireen, it would be Brenn.' Hickman shook his head.

'We already tried talking to him,' he said. 'He isn't giving us anything.'

'Then let me try,' Eva offered. 'Maybe he will talk to me. Now that Eireen took Tommy.' Olivier frowned and before he could protest, Eva continued. 'He can give us an location. I'm sure of it. Or at least find a way to contact her. We have to try!' Olivier sighed.

'Alright, but Hickman will be inside with you,' he decided. 'Seeger and I will talk to Shey.' Eva nodded and hurried towards interrogation. Nerves were racing through her body. She didn't know what to ask Brenn but she knew she had to get something from him. He seemed to hate Tommy, but they were once friends. Maybe she could appeal to that. Before they headed inside, Hickman grabbed her arm.

'Be smart, Eva,' he warned her. 'Don't let him get under your skin. You need something from him and he has nothing to lose. You're at a disadvantage here.' Eva pulled her arm back without a word and walked into the interrogation room.

* * *

Brenn was looking at her with a strange sense of calmness. His hands were folded on the table and he was breathing calmly. Eva on the other hand felt the opposite. She was anxious. Anxious for answers and to find Tommy. He was out there, somewhere with Brenn's crazy ex.

'So what is today's subject?' Brenn asked calmly. Eva glanced at Hickman, who gave her an encouraging nod.

'Eireen took Tommy,' Eva started and she noticed a shift in Brenn's posture. He seemed somewhat more on edge. Sitting a bit straighter. Hands tighter together. 'And we need to know if you can give us anything on where she is.'

'Like I told all your other friends: I don't know where she is,' Brenn answered. 'I lost contact with her when we broke off which was years ago. First time I heard about her was when you all came into my love.'

'We know you build the bomb for her,' Eva told him. 'She killed the students and booby trapped the bodies with one of your signature bombs.' Brenn shrugged.

'She could have made those bombs herself,' he said. 'We worked and lived together for quite some time and she might have picked up some of my tricks. I wasn't the only one making bombs. Sometimes it was me, other times Eireen and even Tommy has made a couple of them.'

'We were told that every bomber has specific movements within making a bomb,' Hickman said. 'The bomb that was used for the crime scene...it had you all written over it.'

'Which Tommy McConnel told you,' Brenn noted. 'For all we know he is trying to frame me and he ran off with Eireen to live a happy live together.'

'You know Tommy,' Eva said. 'You know him because you were once friends. Do you really think he would frame you? He never wanted you to think that he betrayed you. He never did betray you. He had no choice in joining Scotland Yard. All he has been doing is protecting you and the other travelers. Last year he willingly went into the camp, knowing he could be killed because of that hit on his head...just to help the clan...you know Tommy better than any of us. You were friends since childhood. Please help us find him and Eireen.'

'So you can kill her?' Brenn asked and he shook his head. 'You want me to save Tommy and betray Eireen?'

'Eireen needs help!' Eva said, the volume of her voice rising, and Hickman put a hand on her arm. 'If you help us find them, we will make sure Eireen gets the help she needs. Professional help so she can get better.' Brenn averted his gaze from Eva and Hickman to the table surface. The silence was eerie and made Eva nervous. Then Brenn sighed and looked up.

'There are a couple of warehouses that are empty...or at least used to be,' he started. 'We would use them from time to time as a safe house or to store...stuff...' Hickman placed a piece of paper in front of him.

'Could you write down their addresses?' he asked. Brenn grabbed the pen and let it hover over the paper, as if he was hesitating.

'You're going to get her help, right?' he asked. Eva nodded and Brenn started to write.

* * *

Eva continued her pacing in Sebastian's hospital room, driving him a little crazy as he had told her a couple of times. But Eva couldn't help herself. She felt so useless. The team had gone off to find Tommy and Eireen and she was stuck here, doing nothing. Sebastian was working on his laptop, but that wasn't something Eva could help with. Olivier had been adamant about her staying behind. He even said he didn't trust her in the field because he didn't know how she would react. She would react perfectly fine. She would react to get Tommy back. But no, she was stuck at the hospital. Arabela had promised her to call or text as soon as they knew something and Hickman had given her arm a little squeeze.

'_We'll get him back_' had been his promise to her and she hoped he was right. After this she was going to need some time off. A long holiday or something like that.

'Eva, why don't you sit down,' Sebastian suggested and he pointed at the chair next to his bed. 'You're only wearing yourself out.' Eva sighed but didn't argue with Sebastian and simple sat down. He looked at her with a little smile. 'You know, you and Tommy are very similar.'

'What do you mean?' she asked him.

'He couldn't take a moment's rest either when we were looking for you.' An involuntarily shiver went through Eva's body. She preferred to keep those thoughts out of her mind, nor did she want to hear about that time. Manouk had told her not to push the emotions away and to deal with them, if they came. But this wasn't the time nor place for them. She jumped a little when she felt something heavy on her hand, but it was just Sebastian's hand.

'You know I'm here for you if you want to talk,' he told her. 'About anything.' Eva gave him a weak smile.

'I'm okay,' she told him. Sebastian raised his eyebrow in return but stayed quiet. He returned his gaze to the laptop in front of him and began to read. Eva smiled as he didn't pull his hand back. He even gave her a little squeeze. Eva took a deep breath as she even felt herself relax a little bit.

* * *

Tommy groaned as he tried to remove the strain on his shoulders and wrists. Time was passing so slowly to Tommy. Or maybe it was passing fast. He had lost the concept of time. All he wanted was to be put down on the ground. However Eireen didn't seem to be planning on that anytime soon. She stood in front of him, holding a knife. With slow steps she walked towards him and she placed the tip of the knife on his chest.

'I bet you never thought about me for a moment in all those years,' she told him and she gradually dragged the knife down, cutting the skin ever so slightly. It didn't really hurt but it did sting. 'I was just something of the past. Something to be never thought about ever again, wasn't I?! All our time meant bloody nothing to you, fhealltóir!' Somehow it stung even more when Eireen called him a traitor. He had gotten so used to it over the years, but somehow he had never thought Eireen would see him as a traitor.

'I asked Brenn about you!' Tommy said to her and Eireen froze at the name. The knife tip rested at his ribs and Tommy stayed as still as he possibly could.

'Brenn?' Eireen mumbled and she put her hands against her head, the knife dangerously close to her ear.

'Yes, Brenn!' Tommy repeated. 'I talked with him...until he broke up with you. Then I didn't know how to contact you. Neither did Brenn. We were worried about you. We looked for you, but we couldn't find you.'

'Cause I'm the best at hiding,' Eireen mumbled and Tommy nodded.

'Yes, you always were,' he confirmed, hoping to connect with Eireen and get somewhere.

'Brenn needs to come here,' Eireen said and she looked up at Tommy. The tip of the knife was back pointed towards him. Her hand was shaking. 'You need to get Brenn here!'

'I can't, Eireen,' Tommy told her as calm as possible. 'Brenn was arrested because of the bomb. He's in jail. He can't come here.' Eireen shook her head and tears were rolling down her face.

'No! Brenn needs to be here!' she shouted and she rushed towards him. 'Who can give me Brenn? Who do I need to call?' With every question she prodded the knife on his chest. 'Who do I need to hurt?!'

'You can't get Brenn,' Tommy said. 'If you let me go, I can take you to Brenn.' She looked at him through her tear-filled eyes. 'I...I can bring you to Brenn, if you want him.' For moment Tommy thought he had gotten through to her, but then Eireen turned around abruptly, cutting him in the process.

'I will have to hurt another one,' she said resolutely. 'Who should I pick?'

'You won't have to pick,' Tommy said hurriedly. 'You have me right here! I abandoned you! I betrayed you! Tá mé an flealltóir! You can kill me, right now!'

**TBC.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

**Happy Mother's Day!**

_Chapter 10_

Tommy could only close his eyes for a couple of seconds each time before the pain awoke him once again. Eireen had been angry and that anger was what Tommy felt. The knife had been cast aside and Eireen had returned to the punches. There was a weird feeling of being proud behind the strength of those punches as he had been the one to teach her how to throw a good punch back in the day. A girl had to know how to defend herself, if she ever got into trouble. He would never have imagined she would be using that training against him. Exhaustion was washing over him, but he could see it in Eireen as well. Neither of them had gotten a moment of rest. She was pacing through the space. No words were spoken and that gave Tommy enough to at least rest a little. But a loud alarm changed all of that. Eireen's entire body went rigid and she looked at him with huge eyes. Fear was written all over her face. To his left he saw the best words on the screen: 'BREACH', in bright letters. Tommy knew that meant that the team had arrived. Soon it would all be over. However, Eireen seemed to realize that as well.

'It's over, Eireen,' he said to her, struggling against his bindings.

'It's not,' she said determined and she pointed at him with a gun. 'I still have you.'

'Don't do anything stupid, Eireen!' Tommy shouted at her. 'They will kill you if you don't let me go. Surrender and I promise you will get to see Brenn again!' Eireen shook her head violently.

'No! You still have to pay!' The door was kicked in and Olivier, Hickman, Lennon and Arabela rushed into the room. Their guns were drawn and pointed into Tommy's direction. Eireen kicked at a handle and Tommy was thrown down. He would have hit the floor with a thud if Eireen hadn't grabbed him at his throat and pressed the barrel against his head.

'Let him go!' Hickman ordered and Tommy could feel Eireen shaking. She was trembling. She was terrified and it reminded him of the girl he had been forced to take on their first task together.

'Eireen...remember, sometimes you got to give up,' Tommy whispered at her, struggling to find his voice as her arm was cutting off his air supply. 'There is no shame in giving up. Just let me go and let's walk out together.'

'Drop the gun, Eireen!' Miles yelled and Tommy gave the man an angry glare.

'Shut up!' he yelled at Miles. Miles looked shocked and offended but Hickman seemed to be calm him down. Tommy had to get her to focus on him. He knew he could have her stand down without anyone dying.

'Eireen, listen only to me,' he said softly to the trembling woman. 'Let me go and we can go to Brenn together. You want to see him right? You want to see Brenn?'

'I want a helicopter!' Eireen yelled, making Tommy wince. 'Or a car! I want to go somewhere safe! When I'm safe, I will let Tommy go!' Tommy could see from Olivier's face she wasn't getting any of that. And he knew she wouldn't get it. The guns of his team members were all pointed directly at him and Eireen, but they wouldn't shoot with the chance of hitting him. Eireen wouldn't move without a way out. That meant it came to Tommy to solve it. Suddenly he felt tired. He didn't want to be in this position. More than anything he wanted to be at home, on his couch.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered as he brought his elbow back, right into her ribs and knocking the wind out of her. Tommy went down to the floor himself and he heard shots being fired. A body dropping to the floor led to silence throughout the building. Slowly Tommy lifted his head and he saw Eireen lying next to him. He left go of the breath he was holding as he saw she was still alive. A shot in her shoulder had brought her down. He kicked the gun away as the rest of the team ran up to him.

'Are you okay?' Hickman asked worried, putting his hand on Tommy's shoulder and giving him a quick glance over. Tommy nodded. He wasn't at risk of dying. He was just sore.

* * *

Eva's heart felt like it was jumping out of her chest. She got out of the police cruiser before it even got to a full stop and she ran towards the ambulance that was in front of the building. She didn't wait for Sebastian to get out. There was only one thing on her mind. Tommy was sitting in the back, being treated by the EMTs, but he pushed them away as soon as he saw Eva.

'Ciao, bella,' he smiled at her. Eva closed the distance between them and kissed him. Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly.

'Don't ever do that again!' she told him firmly as she pulled back. Her hands were cupping his face as she looked him over. 'Never scare me like that again!' He gave her another smile.

'It's nothing,' he said, but he couldn't help but wince as he moved the wrong way. Eva gently stroked his cheek. A cough pulled them out of their moment and Eva turned around to see Arabela, Sebastian and Hickman, who was supporting the former, standing a few meters from them. They smiled as Tommy quickly released Eva from his embrace.

'We should have placed those bets,' Sebastian joked.

'On what?' Olivier asked as he joined them.

'Umm on whether Tommy would do something stupid like this,' Sebastian quickly lied and Olivier gave a short nod.

'Let's hope this is the last time,' he said and he turned to Tommy. 'Eireen is on her way to the hospital and should make a full recovery. I suggested you go to the hospital as well.' Tommy shook his head.

'Nah, I'm fine, boss,' he said but then he winced again. Olivier smiled a little.

'Take him away,' he said to the ETMs. 'Restrain him if necessary.'

* * *

'I'm not going to stay a night in this place!' Tommy complained and he was already sitting on the edge of the bed. 'Where are my clothes?' Eva placed his clothes eve further from the bed and gave him a gently push back towards the bed.

'You have to stay...'

'You are staying, McConnel,' Olivier said as he walked in. 'That's an order! Or I will get a nurse to cuff you to that bed.' Tommy stared at the man, but then he gave in. Olivier didn't seem the man to change his mind about things. When he turned to Eva, he could see her suppressing a smile. He jokingly shook his head at her and she stroked his hand, before they realized their boss was standing in the room as well. Fortunately the doctor had picked that moment to walk in. Olivier excused himself and walked out of the room.

'Good day, mister McConnel, I'm Sam Thurstone and your doctor,' the doctor introduced himself. 'How are you feeling? How is the pain?'

'I would feel better if I was out of this bloody place but fine otherwise,' Tommy answered. 'I have dealt with worse.'

'So I see in your medical dossier,' doctor Thurstone replied. Tommy glanced quickly at Eva, who seemed to be listening calmly at what the doctor was saying. 'It seems that you have several bruised ribs, two broken ribs, a concussion, several superficial cuts and bruisings. You were lucky and your cuts won't need any stitches. As you have been told you will have to stay overnight for observation. Do you have any questions for me?'

'Not really,' Tommy answered. The staying overnight seemed a bit much in his opinion but he didn't seem to have a choice. 'Oh, can we get some real food? Like if I ask one of my friends to bring a hamburger...would that be okay?' Doctor Thurstone laughed.

'I don't see a problem with that,' he answered. 'It's a good thing that you didn't lose your appetite.'

'I don't think Tommy ever really could,' Eva joked and Tommy raised his eyebrow at her.

'We got jokes now?'

'Don't worry; I'm still mad at you.' Tommy's smile disappeared and he gave her hand a squeeze. He knew she was mad at him and she had every reason to be.

'I will leave you two to it,' doctor Thurstone said. 'If there is anything else, just press the call button and a nurse will come to help you.' Tommy gave the doctor a nod. When he left, Tommy turned to Eva.

'I'm sorry,' he told her. 'But...I just had to...'

'I know you thought you had to,' Eva said and she sighed. 'It was just very scary to wake up without you by my side. And it hurt. I didn't know what had happened to you...' Tommy lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her hand.

'I did it to protect you,' he said softly. 'To protect everyone.'

'I know,' Eva said and she leaned in to give him a kiss. 'But it was a stupid plan.' Tommy chuckled and nodded.

'But it's over now.'

* * *

The pain in the ribs caused Tommy to wake up once again. There was no position in this bed that was even remotely comfortable with bruised and broken ribs. That was really something they should work on, Tommy figured. The entire room was engulfed in darkness, except for the little light that came through the window in the door. Arabela had brought him and Eva some hamburgers on her way to Sebastian and it had been one of the best burgers Tommy had in a long time. It wasn't until the first bite that Tommy realized how hungry he was. He had even eaten half of Eva's burger, after she had assured him several times she really had eaten enough. Tommy turned his gaze to Eva, who was sleeping in the chair next to his bed. It didn't seem to be too comfortable though. He noticed a blanket at the end of his bed, which a nurse must have put there, and he grabbed it. Wincing at the pain of getting out of bed, Tommy walked over to her and put the blanket securely over her. For a moment he simply watched her sleep, like he had done before he had left her. He had soaked in the sight of her, thinking he wouldn't return to her. Yet here he was, watching her sleep once again. He reached out to her, stroking her hair. He had returned and he would now make up for leaving her that night. He placed a kiss on top of her head. From behind him he heard the door open and he turned to ask the nurse for some painkillers, just for the night. Instead he froze. In front of him he saw Mickey McConnel standing.

**TBC.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!**

_Chapter 11_

Tommy jumped in front of Eva, shielding her from his father's eyes. He watched his father carefully as the man slowly walked towards him. So many things were going through his mind but the question that kept coming up was why his father would be here. How his father even knew he was here.

'What do you want, dah?' Tommy asked, trying to stay quiet and not to wake Eva up.

'I just wanted to see if you were okay,' his father answered, adjusting his volume as well, which surprised Tommy. It made him step away from Eva and sit down on the bed. It was also closer to the call button.

'What do you really want?' Tommy asked. His father didn't answer but reached out to the other chair instead and looked questioningly at him. Tommy nodded and his father sat down with a big sigh.

'I heard about your troubles with Eireen,' his father then answered. 'I had to know if you were okay.' Tommy frowned.

'Since when do you care about me?'

'You can travel around freely,' his father said, once again ignoring his question. 'You don't have to fear for any travelers going after you. The hit on your head is temporarily lifted.' Tommy stared at his father in shock. Those were not the words he had expected to hear from his father.

'Why?' Tommy asked. It made no sense for that to happen. His father had been very clear. The hit was there and it would stay there until he was dealt with. He was no longer welcome with any of the travelers. 'Why lift the hit, dah?' His father pushed himself out of the chair and turned around. That was all he was going to say? That was all that he was giving Tommy? Just the notification of the hit being temporarily lifted. And what did temporarily even mean?

'Dah?' His father walked towards the door and turned around.

'Go see your máthair,' he said and then he walked out of the door, leaving Tommy in shock. Just with that his father was once again out of his life.

* * *

Tommy only got a couple of hours of sleep. His mind was still mulling over his father's words and the meaning behind them. When he awoke once again, he turned to Eva. She was already looking at him and she smiled.

'Thank you for the blanket,' she said and she held a corner of the blanket up, as it was still securely wrapped around her.

'You looked like you could use it,' he replied and he reached his hand towards her. When she took hold of it, he pulled her towards her. Moving over, he made room for her to lie down beside him. She did and he gave her a kiss.

'I'm sorry for worrying you,' he whispered at her while his hands trailed down her arm. 'That you had to go through all of this. Not really the calm first case back at work. Are you really okay?'She nodded while he stroked a strand of hair out of her face.

'I really am,' she assured him. 'I'm just worried about you. You didn't seem to have a very restful sleep.' Tommy glanced at her face, doubting whether he should tell her about his father's nightly visit, but he decided against it. He didn't want to bother her with it nor did he want her to worry about him even more.

'I'm fine,' he answered. 'Ready to leave the bloody hospital and head home.' He stroked her cheek. 'There is just one more thing I have to do before we go back to The Hague.'

'Do you need a ride?' Eva asked him and he shook his head.

'When I'm discharged, you should go to the hotel and get some real sleep,' he told her. 'In an actual bed.' Eva was looking him directly in the eyes and he knew she wanted to know more. However she didn't ask anything more about it and Tommy was glad about it. He gave her another kiss.

* * *

The caravan was so familiar and he could always see himself running around it as a six-year-old boy. He had been there so many times, but never had been he this anxious. He had never been anxious to see his mother. She had told him they had learned to live without him, but he knew somewhere deep inside she still loved him. He didn't have anything to fear from her. The curtains restricted sight into the caravan. Tommy took a deep breath. Why did he have to see his mother so badly? It made him worried. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. It was opened by a young woman whom he recognized as his younger sister Kacey. He couldn't help but stare at her as it had been years since he had seen her. The last time he had seen her, she was still a little girl. One that would sit on his lap whenever he came for a visit. Now she stood in front of him with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

'Hey Kacey,' Tommy said hesitantly. 'I'm here to see mah...' Kacey moved aside so Tommy could enter the caravan.

'She's in the back,' she told him. 'Don't take too long, she's pretty weak.' Tommy frowned at that statement. Their mother was never weak. He headed to the back of the caravan and found their mother lying in bed. Suddenly it clicked with Tommy. Why they all had said he had to see his mother. There was a little heart ache as he realized they had thought about him in this moment. Somehow there was still something for him within his family.

'Hey mah...' Tommy greeted their mother softly and she slowly opened her eyes. As soon as her eyes hit upon his face, a smile grew on her face and she reached out for him. Tommy took her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

'_Mo mhac_,' she said in a long breath. A lump formed in his throat and tears threatened to fall in the corner of his eyes. She had called him her son. With everything that had happened she was still his mother and in this moment that was the most important.

'Yeah,' he replied. 'I'm here, mah.'

'Are...you...in trouble...again...' his mother asked him. Each word seemed to be a struggle for her. She looked so fragile. Nothing like the strong woman he had seen months ago. In her current condition she wouldn't even be able to sit up, let alone stand up to Scotland Yard.

'Just a little bit,' Tommy joked. 'Nothing you have to worry about.' His mother sighed.

'Why can't you just find a nice girl to be with?' his mother sighed.

'I think I might finally have,' Tommy smiled. His lip began to tremble as he watched his mother struggle. He gave her hand another squeeze. 'So, how are you holding up, mah?'

**The End.**

**Somehow this story was tougher than the first one. Mainly when I got to the actual confrontation between Tommy and Eireen. But I got to the end! ****I hope it didn't disappoint!**

**Thank you to all who read, favorited, reviewed and put an alert on this story! A special thanks to cdub77, for reminding me all the time to get another chapter out, for helping me out when I was stuck with details and inspire me to continue writing. And to my sister for dealing with all my chapters and checking them each time. Thank you!**


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